Educate My Heart
by adreamersimagination
Summary: Riley Matthews is a kindergarten teacher. Lucas Friar is a single dad. When the two meet on Lucas's daughter's first day of school, sparks fly almost instantly. There is a connection that neither can deny. Is it strong enough for them to pursue? Or will past relationships and pain hold them back? Read along as Riley and Lucas venture into this new chapter of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**I just can't help it! Rucas is forever my favorite ship on this show and I can't stop myself from writing stories about them. This one will be a little different from what I usually do. It's an A/U. Lucas is a single dad and Riley is a kindergarten teacher. All our favorite characters will still be in it! I wanted to try something different so I hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think. I love to hear reviews and your thoughts! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 1**

Riley Matthews woke up that first day of the school year like she did every other year. The twenty- seven year old turned off her alarm clock and then stretched out her back. She stared up at the ceiling for a minute and allowed herself the chance to wake up. This year was going to be better. She made herself a promise every year on the first day of the school year that this year was going to be better than last year. She was going to push her students to be better. Be it, they were only kindergarteners, but she believed she could make a difference in their lives.

If you asked Riley why she got into teaching that would be the reason she gave you. She always wanted to make a difference, the same way her dad did for her and her friends. She wanted to push them to be better than they were the day before. She wanted to show them that someone believed in them, no matter what. Being a teacher was something she had dreamed about since she was just a little girl. She always wanted to be just like her dad. That's why this year was going to be better. She was going to be a better teacher than she was the year before.

"Riles?" A familiar voice floated throughout Riley's apartment, causing the brunette to raise an eyebrow and climb out of her bed. She walked into the living room and saw her blonde best friend sitting on the couch, clearly waiting for her.

"Peaches? What are you doing here so early?" Riley asked. Maya Hart-Matthews looked up and smiled at her best friend, almost hesitantly. Riley knew almost instantly that there was something on her best friend's mind. Something that was clearly troubling her.

"I'm freaking out," Maya said as she ran her fingers through her blonde locks.

"How is that possible?" Riley asked, a chuckle escaping her. She looked over at the clock on her wall and then back at the blonde. "It's only six-thirty in the morning. You can't possibly have a problem this early in the morning."

"I only have three weeks left!" Maya exclaimed, resting her hands on her very pregnant stomach. "In only three weeks I am going to be a mother. I can't be a mother. I'm not ready to be a mother!"

"Oh Peaches," Riley smiled softly and then walked over to sit with the pregnant blonde on the couch. She rested a hand on her arm, causing Maya to look over at her and let out a tired sigh. "Does Josh know where you are?"

"Uh," Maya widened her eyes and then bit her lip. "He may have been sleeping when I left this morning."

"Maya!" Riley exclaimed. "He is going to wake up and panic. You know how protective he has been throughout your pregnancy."

"He knows by now that if I'm not there then there is a good chance that I'm over here," Maya pointed out.

"True," Riley nodded and laughed softly. Her uncle was used to Maya just getting up and making her way over to her best friend's apartment. It had been something that blonde had done since she was just a little girl. There was no way she would stop doing it now, just because she was married.

"What about you?" Maya asked, nudging the brunette's shoulder.

"What about me?" Riley raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not pregnant."

"You're not dating anyone either," Maya said as she shot her a look.

"Oh don't start this again," Riley rolled her eyes and then made her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. It was way too early in the morning to be having a conversation about her non-existent dating life without a cup of coffee.

"I just want you to be happy," Maya insisted. She slowly stood up from the couch and walked over to where Riley was standing. "You have always talked about getting married and having a family of your own. I just want to see that happen for you."

"I know," Riley nodded and then smiled softly at her best friend. "I love you for that, I really do. It will happen for me. I know it will. I just haven't met the right guy yet."

"Are you sure that you don't want me and Smackle to set you up?" Maya asked. "We would be more than happy to find the perfect guy for you."

"I'm sure," Riley chuckled. "I don't want to force it. When I meet him, I'll know."

"It will be the right moment?" Maya asked. She knew her best friend was always going on about the moment. She always said that when the moment hit her and she met the man she would spend the rest of her life with, she would just know.

"It will be the right moment," Riley nodded. She truly believed that. She believed in her heart that she would just know when she met her soulmate.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

Lucas Friar woke up before his alarm that morning and spent the next few minutes staring up at the ceiling. It was a comforting feeling and one where he was able to enjoy the silence, time to collect his thoughts. Silence was not something that he came by very often with a five year old. He smiled as he thought of his daughter because she was truly his everything and more. He was young when she was born. He was only twenty-three years old but she was the best thing that ever happened to him and changed his life for the better. It was only him and his little girl though. Her mother ran out on them six months after she was born and she never looked back, leaving Lucas to raise the little girl by himself.

Being a single dad was hard. He had to completely change his life after she was born and he learned every single day how to be a successful parent. He was still learning how to be a good dad. Haley Grace Friar was one of the most easy going little girls in the world. She had a smile that could light up an entire room. Her emerald green eyes matched her father's and always seemed to be looking to him for the answer. She had dark brown hair, just like her mother's. She had her father wrapped around her tiny finger and it had been like that since the moment she was born. She could do no wrong in her father's eyes.

"Good morning daddy," Haley's voice sounded from the doorway. He looked over and saw her standing there in her pajamas and holding on tight to her teddy bear stuffed animal. Zay, Lucas's best friend and Haley's godfather, had given it to her when she was only a year and a half and it was her most prized possession. She took it everywhere she went and couldn't sleep without it.

"Good morning sweetheart," Lucas smiled and slowly sat up in bed. He swung his legs around to the side of the bed and sat down on the edge of the bed. She walked over to the bed and jumped up to sit on the edge of the bed with her dad. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side, kissing the top of her head. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes for a minute. "Are you excited for your first day of school?"

"I am!" Haley exclaimed and opened her eyes in excitement. She started to bounce on the bed in excitement and Lucas laughed. "I am going to make so many friends and we are going to color."

"Well I think you are going to do more than just color," Lucas laughed.

"Really?" Haley raised an eyebrow at him. He laughed again because his little girl had a personality of her own.

"Sure," Lucas nodded. "You are going to learn so much and you are going to love it."

"Do you think my teacher will like me?" Haley asked, suddenly very nervous. Lucas ruffled her hair and then nodded at her again.

"Of course I do," Lucas said. "Your teacher is going to love you. What's not to love?"

"Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" Haley asked. She smiled wide at her dad and knew that he would never be able to say no to her smile.

"Absolutely," Lucas agreed.

"With extra bacon?" Haley asked.

"With extra bacon," Lucas laughed.

"Yay!" Haley cheered. Lucas lifted her up into his arms and then started to tickle her. She let out hearty laugh that turned into a fit of giggles. Her laugh was contagious and soon Lucas was laughing along with her. "Daddy, stop!" She shrieked and he eventually stopped tickling her and she sat on his lap. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you too sweetheart," Lucas said. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and then planted a kiss on her dad's cheek. He felt his heart soar with love for his daughter. There was nothing in the world he wouldn't do for her.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Come on daddy!" Haley tugged on his hand, attempting to drag him throughout the parking lot.

"I'm coming," Lucas insisted. "We will get there. School doesn't start for another ten minutes."

"But I have to see my classroom," Haley said. "I have to meet everyone."

"Okay okay," Lucas agreed and picked up his pace a little bit. They made it up to the school and then suddenly Haley stopped in her tracks. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at his daughter. "What's the matter?"

"I don't want to go," Haley said. He smiled because he knew she would eventually get nervous so he kneeled down right in front of her and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"You are going to love it," Lucas promised. "Remember how excited you were this morning?"

"What if no one likes me?" Haley whispered.

"That will never happen," Lucas insisted. "Everyone is going to love you and I bet you are going to find your best friend as soon as you get in there."

"Like you and Uncle Zay?" Haley widened her eyes. She absolutely loved her uncle and thought he was the funniest person in the world.

"Exactly like us," Lucas nodded. "But better."

"Okay," Haley said and then Lucas chuckled when she stood up a little straighter. She had a new sense of determination about her. "I can do this."

"Let's go then," Lucas said.

He stood up straight and waited as his daughter grabbed onto his hand. They walked up the front steps of the school and then made it to Haley's new classroom. He found the hook with her name on it and helped her place her backpack on the hook. They looked around the classroom and he could see the excited look on Haley's face. There were little desks all around the room and a bunch of her new classmates looking around the room with their parents. He had a really good feeling about this classroom. It felt bright and had a happy atmosphere to it. It left him with a comfortable feeling.

"What do you think?" Lucas asked, squatting down to Haley's level.

"I think it's awesome!" Haley exclaimed. "There are lots of toys. I wonder which desk is mine."

"I'm sure your teacher will tell you," Lucas said.

"Well hello there," a kind voice greeted the pair. Lucas looked up and was immediately captivated by the woman in front of him. She was beautiful, genuinely and naturally beautiful. Her brown eyes were kind and welcoming. She had long brown hair and was dressed in a floral dress.

"Hey," Lucas said as he stood up.

"Hi," she said. She looked like she was clearly stunned herself and attempting to maintain her composure. He saw as she nervously ran her hands over the front of her dress and then smile again.

"Hi!" Haley chimed in, clearly interrupting the moment between the two adults.

"Well hello there," she squatted down in front of Haley and smiled. Lucas noticed that her smile was genuine and that she seemed like a truly kind person. "What's your name?"

"I'm Haley. Haley Grace Friar," she introduced herself.

"Well it's very nice to meet you Haley. My name is Miss Matthews," Riley introduced herself and extended a hand to the little girl. Haley giggled and grabbed onto her hand, giving it a shake.

"Are you my teacher?" Haley asked, tilting her head to the side slightly to get a better look at the older woman.

"I sure am," Riley nodded.

"Are we going to color?" Haley asked.

"You bet," Riley smiled. "Lots of it."

"Yay!" Haley cheered. Lucas chuckled because he knew that Haley's teacher had just won her over.

"Why don't you go over to the blocks and meet some of your classmates?" Riley suggested, gesturing over the section of the classroom with all the colorful blocks.

"Okay," Haley nodded. She was about to rush over there when Lucas called her back over for a hug.

"Bye Haley," Lucas smiled as he kneeled down in front of her. Haley launched herself into his arms and hugged him close. "I'll be back at two fifteen to pick you up. Have a great day. I love you."

"I love you too daddy," Haley said before kissing his cheek. She smiled at him once more before running off to her new classmates. Lucas watched her go and felt his chest tighten. She was growing up too fast and wanted time to slow down.

"It gets easier," Riley said from next to him. Her voice was soft and Lucas could tell she genuinely meant it.

"It does?" Lucas asked, standing up and looking at his daughter's teacher. He had a hard time believing in that moment it was going to get easier.

"She'll be okay," Riley promised. The two looked over at Lucas's daughter and saw that she was already playing with another girl. They looked like instant best friends. He smiled to himself. Maybe it would all be okay.

"I'm Lucas," he turned around and extended a hand to the beautiful brunette in front of him.

"Miss Matthews. Well Riley," she smiled and grabbed onto his hand before giving it a shake. The two felt a spark run between them and they quickly pulled back. They both looked flustered and he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Uh," Lucas stuttered. "I guess I should get going."

"Yeah," Riley nodded. She looked like she was as flustered as he was feeling. He knew that she felt the spark almost as much as he had. "We will see you later," she said.

"See you later," Lucas nodded. He looked over at his daughter once more and saw that she was perfectly content where she was.

"Goodbye Mr. Friar," Riley said.

"Goodbye Miss Matthews," Lucas smiled at her. She smiled back and he swore it was the most beautiful sight in the world. If possible, it made her even more beautiful than before.

Riley watched as Lucas left the classroom and her mind was spinning. There was something different about him. He made her stomach fill with butterflies and a red blush fill her cheeks. He was handsome, incredibly handsome. He was probably one of the most handsome guys she had met in a really long time and he was kind. He seemed very polite and she could see just how much he adored his daughter. She had to remind herself to stop though. He was probably married. He and Haley's mom were probably together but she didn't remember seeing a wedding ring on his finger.

"Get a grip," Riley mumbled to herself and then shook her head to herself. She needed to focus on the day and not Lucas Friar. That was easier said than done though. He was on her mind the entire day but what she didn't realize was that he was in a similar position. All Lucas could think about that day was Riley Matthews. They both knew there was something there and something strong between them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I am so overwhelmed by all of the support I have already received on this story! You are all so amazing and I cannot wait to take this journey with each of you. I have lots of fun stuff planned for this story. I am so excited to be writing a Rucas story again and can't wait to get into it! Never hesitate to leave me a review and let me know what you think. I love hearing feedback. Thank you so much again! You're the best!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 2**

"What's wrong with your face?" Zay asked, looking at his best friend curiously. He had noticed something was off the minute Lucas sat down across from him.

"What are you talking about?" Lucas narrowed his eyes at him before taking a sip of his coffee. He swallowed the caffeine and then continued. "There is nothing wrong with my face. This is how my face always looks."

"No," Zay shook his head and raised an eyebrow. "There is something different about you."

"There is nothing different about me," Lucas insisted.

"Well, how was it?" Zay asked, deciding to just change the subject. He knew how hard headed his best friend was and how it rarely opened up unless he wanted to. "Did you cry like a baby when you dropped Haley off this morning?"

"I did not cry," Lucas said. Zay shot him a look that conveyed that he didn't believe him and then raised an eyebrow. "Okay fine, I may have cried a little bit. Not in front of her though. When I got home."

"Of course you didn't cry in front of her," Zay said. "Lucas Friar does not believe in showing emotions in front of other people."

"I show emotion!" Lucas protested.

"We've been best friends forever and I don't think I've ever seen you cry," Zay said.

"I may have met someone," Lucas suddenly said.

"What?" Zay widened his eyes. "You did? Where? Who is she?"

"Jeez man," Lucas laughed. "Be a little less excited."

"It's been years since you've been on a date," Zay said. "For you to actually show interest in someone is a big deal."

"It hasn't-," Lucas started to protest but knew there was no point. He hadn't really shown any interest in dating in the last few years. He focused all of his attention on raising his daughter. After the mess he went through with her mother, he wasn't interested in getting his heart broken again.

"So, who is she?" Zay asked.

"That's my problem," Lucas sighed.

"You have a problem already?" Zay raised an eyebrow. "How is that possible?"

"She's Haley's teacher," Lucas said.

"That may be a problem," Zay nodded and then smirked.

"Why are you smirking?" Lucas narrowed his eyes at his best friend.

"Because only you would fall for your daughter's teacher," Zay laughed. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I have no idea," Lucas shook his head. He really didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted to see Riley Matthews again.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Are you going to get a coffee?" Haley asked. She was holding onto Lucas's hand and the two were walking down the street together. He had just picked Haley up from school and was going to pick up a treat for her. He usually didn't give her sugar before dinner but figured he would make the exception today.

"I am," Lucas nodded and then smiled down at his little girl. "Do you want a hot chocolate or apple juice?"

"Apple juice!" Haley exclaimed. Lucas laughed because he knew that was what she would say. She could drink apple juice every single day if he let her. "Can I have a cookie, daddy?"

"You sure can," Lucas said. "Only one though because we are having dinner soon."

"Pizza?" Haley asked.

"Chicken nuggets for you," Lucas said.

"Yummy!" Haley's eyes widened in excitement. The two walked into Topanga's together and made their way over to the counter. He placed their orders and then leaned against the counter while they waited for their orders. Haley had taken over the conversation and was telling him all about her first day of school. "We got to color a lot!"

"Oh yeah?" Lucas asked. "Did you color anything in particular?"

"I made you a picture," Haley said.

"Really?" Lucas smiled. She nodded and flashed him a wide smile. It was a smile that had been melting his heart since she was just a baby.

"It's of you and me," Haley said. She went to go take it out of her backpack but Lucas stopped her.

"Why don't you just show me when we get home?" Lucas suggested.

"Okay," Haley nodded. He saw her eyes widen in excitement and he looked over to where she was looking. He felt his heart start to race when his eyes landed on what his daughter was looking at. "Miss Matthews!" Haley shrieked. Riley looked up at the sound of her name and smiled at the little girl standing by the counter.

"Hi Haley," Riley greeted as she made her way over towards her student.

"I just saw you at school!" Haley exclaimed.

"You did," Riley nodded and laughed softly. "Are you getting yourself an after school snack?"

"Apple juice and a big chocolate chip cookie," Haley nodded. She pointed up at her dad and then looked back to her teacher. "My daddy wanted a coffee. He drinks lots of coffee."

"I don't drink that much coffee," Lucas said as he rested his hands on his daughter's shoulders. He saw Riley look up at him and he swore her cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Yes you do," Haley disagreed.

"My ever so honest daughter," Lucas ruffled her hair, causing her to shriek. Riley smiled to herself because she could see the love and admiration on Lucas's face. She could see just how much he loved his little girl.

"Lucas, right?" Riley asked.

"That's right," Lucas nodded and then smiled. She resisted the urge to bite her lip because she swore that he had one of the best smiles in the world. She had to remind herself that this one of her student's dad.

"My daddy is a vet," Haley chimed in.

"Really?" Riley asked, looking down at Haley and then back up at Lucas.

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. He looked almost sheepish at the idea of talking about himself. "I work at one of the clinics down the street from here actually."

"He loves animals," Haley said. "He had lots of horses growing up. He's from Texas."

"Alright little one," Lucas laughed and shook her shoulders. "I don't think Miss Matthews wants to hear all of this."

"Oh sorry," Haley looked sheepish and then backed up into Lucas.

"That's okay," Riley insisted. "I love animals too. Always have."

"Daddy," Haley looked up at her dad. "Can we go home so I can show you my picture?"

"Oh the one you made for your daddy?" Riley asked. She remembered how excited Haley was at the picture she drew for Lucas.

"Yeah," Haley smiled wide and nodded her head excitedly.

"You have a future artist on your hands," Riley said to Lucas.

"Do I?" Lucas asked, smiling down at his daughter.

"Miss Matthews said it was one of her favorite pictures ever!" Haley nodded in excitement.

"Well then how about we get home and you show me?" Lucas suggested.

"I'll see you tomorrow Haley," Riley smiled at the little girl who was clinging to her dad's hand.

"Bye Miss Matthews!" Haley waved and then started to tug on Lucas's hand after he had collected their order from the cashier.

"It was really nice to see you again Riley," Lucas smiled at the brunette.

"You too Lucas," Riley nodded and smiled sweetly. She watched as Lucas followed his daughter out of Topanga's and rested a hand on her chest. It was pounding uncontrollably in her chest and she knew that there was definitely something special about that guy.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Tell us who he is," Maya said.

"What? Who?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow at her best friend.

"Maya is convinced you met a guy," Josh explained.

"You met a guy?" Farkle widened his eyes.

"I did not meet a guy," Riley shook her head and then sipped the coffee in front of her. It had been ten minutes since she ran into Lucas and his daughter and she was now crowded around the couches with her best friends for a quick catch up.

"You're totally lying," Smackle insisted.

"Yeah," Farkle agreed with his wife. "You have that look on your face. Who is he?"

"It's nothing serious," Riley shook her head. "It's not even really anything at all. I just saw this guy and thought he was cute."

"Well have you talked to him?" Maya asked, resting a hand on her pregnant stomach.

"Once or twice," Riley nodded.

"Why are you being so vague about it?" Maya asked.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Josh asked. He knew how desperately his niece wanted to fall in love and meet someone to spend her life with. She had watched all of her best friends get married and start their lives. He hoped that she found someone soon because if anyone deserved it, it was Riley.

"He's a dad of one of the kids in my class," Riley explained. She decided it was best to just be honest with her friends. She wanted their advice on what she should do.

"Oh," Smackle widened her eyes.

"Is he married?" Maya asked.

"I don't know," Riley shook her head. "I've seen him twice now and he hasn't had on a wedding ring either time I saw him."

"Well this should be interesting then," Maya smirked. Riley rolled her eyes at her best friend and shook her head. She wasn't sure how she wanted to move forward with this but she knew she needed to be careful. She didn't want to cause any problems if he did have a wife.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

Lucas usually didn't enjoy grocery shopping. He usually liked to just get what he needed and go. Today though, he was enjoying the quiet and taking his time browsing the store. He was enjoying the time by himself. He rarely got time to himself. He always made it a rule that he didn't bring Haley with him when he grocery shopped. She touched everything and always tried to throw stuff they didn't need into the cart when his back was turned. Zay agreed to watch her while he went grocery shopping. He was so thankful for how helpful his best friend and fiancée were. He wasn't sure he would have gotten through the last five years of Haley's life without them and their help.

"Lucas?" He heard from behind him. He turned around and saw Riley standing in front of the frozen food section, just a few feet away from him.

"Oh hey Riley," Lucas greeted. He pushed his cart towards her and smiled.

"Hey," Riley said.

"Hi," Lucas said. The two laughed nervously and then both of them shook their heads in amusement.

"Where's Haley?" Riley asked, looking around and noticing the absence of the little green eyed cutie.

"She's at home with my best friend and his fiancée," Lucas explained. "I typically try to avoid taking her grocery shopping with me."

"That bad?" Riley chuckled.

"One time I made it up to the cash register with four boxes of cookies that I know for certain I did not pick up," Lucas said. The two shared a laugh and it just felt natural between them.

"My mom said my brother and I used to do the same thing when we were little," Riley said.

"I guess it's just a rite of passage that all little kids have to go through," Lucas said.

"I guess so," Riley agreed.

"Do you have any kids?" Lucas asked. He then winced because he realized just how personal of a question that was.

"No," Riley shook her head. "What about you? Any kids besides Haley?"

"Nope," Lucas said. "She's my only one. My pride and joy."

"You and your wife must be really proud of her," Riley said.

"I'm not married," Lucas shook his head.

"Oh," Riley widened her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

"That's okay," Lucas insisted. "It's a common assumption."

"So it's just you and Haley?" Riley asked.

"Yup," Lucas nodded. "Just me and my little girl."

Riley looked into his eyes and bit her lip. He wasn't married. There was no wife or girlfriend at home. He was single and looking at her so sweetly right now. She felt her heart start to race because she wanted to get to know this guy standing in front of her. She wanted to spend more time talking to him and learning about him. She wanted to learn what made him smile. She wanted to hear about his dreams and fears. She wanted to spend time with him because something seemed so real and genuine about him. There was something telling her that this was something she should pursue.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"We have got to stop running into each other like this," Lucas laughed. He was walking out of Topanga's after getting his coffee and noticed her. Riley looked up from her coffee at and chuckled softly.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were following me," Riley teased.

"I guess it was just good luck then," Lucas shrugged. Riley blushed slightly and then gestured in front of her.

"Would you like to sit down?" Riley asked.

"Sure," Lucas nodded. "I don't have to pick Haley up from ballet for another twenty minutes."

"Ballet, huh?" Riley asked.

"She is convinced she is going to be a ballerina when she gets older. She twirls all around the apartment," Lucas said and then smiled as he thought of his little girl.

"That's adorable," Riley smiled. She had grown really fond of Haley Friar over this last week of school. She was one of the sweetest and brightest kids she had ever taught. She could tell how smart she was going to be as she got older.

"She made me buy her a tutu when she was three and I swear she never took it off," Lucas said. "She eventually grew out of that phase though."

"I had a student once who would come to school every single day in a princess costume," Riley said. "If her parents even tried to change her, she would throw the world's worst tantrum."

"Well I'm glad Haley didn't go through that phase," Lucas laughed.

"Haley mentioned you're from Texas?" Riley asked. "Did the two of you move here?"

"I did," Lucas said. "I went to college here. I grew up and went to high school in Texas up until I decided I was ready for a change. I wanted to start fresh somewhere else and something about New York drew me in. She was born and raised here. We only go back for the holidays because that's where my family is."

"I bet that was a big change," Riley said.

"Well it was different not seeing horses everywhere you turned," Lucas nodded. Riley chuckled because she knew that was true. "What about you? Are you from here?"

"Born and raised," Riley nodded. "I grew up here my entire life and I honestly can't imagine living anywhere else."

"So you're the real deal city girl," Lucas said.

"I guess I am," Riley chuckled.

"Well," Lucas looked down at his watch and noticed that it was about time for him to pick up Haley. "I should get going. I have to pick up Haley from ballet."

"Oh okay," Riley nodded. She was slightly disappointed because she enjoyed talking to him but knew that his daughter needed to come first.

"Maybe we can do this again sometime?" Lucas asked, slowly standing up.

"Really?" Riley asked. "I'd really like that."

"Me too," Lucas nodded. Riley reached for a piece of paper from her notepad and scribbled something on it. He watched as she folded it up and then handed it to him. "What's this?"

"Guess you'll have to open it to find out," Riley shrugged. Lucas smirked in her direction and then smiled as he walked out of Topanga's. Once he was outside, he opened the little piece of paper and he saw the digits on the little piece of paper. It was her phone number. He looked back inside and smiled at the brunette who had gone back to grading papers. This felt like the beginning of something beautiful.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! I just wanted to clarify a few things before moving forward just to clear it all up. In the last chapter Zay was in fact referring to his fiancée. Zay is engaged. Smackle and Farkle are married. Josh and Maya are married and she will be having their first baby very soon. Haley's mother is someone that has not made an appearance yet but she might make one in future chapters, so keep an eye out for that. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Thank you so much for all the kind words and continued support! You're the best!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 3**

"You did what?" Maya widened her eyes in surprise and then let a sweet smirk grace her face. She couldn't believe what her best friend had just told her. It was so completely out of character for her to do.

"Did you really?" Smackle laughed. She, like Maya, was completely surprised by her friend's forwardness. She had known Riley since middle school and had never seen the brunette do something so out there and so bold. Especially when it came to guys.

"I have no idea what got into me," Riley said and then dropped down on the couch in her living room. "One minute the two of us are talking and the next I'm writing my phone number on a piece of paper and giving it to him. I don't do stuff like that!"

"Well you sure did this time," Maya laughed. She was proud of her best friend for putting herself out there. She knew that Riley really wanted to settle down and she was finally taking the steps to make that future happen.

"Has he called?" Smackle asked.

"No," Riley shook her head and sighed. "Maybe that means he doesn't like me."

"Or maybe that means he has a five year old and he's insanely busy taking care of her," Maya said. "Didn't you say that he's a single dad?"

"Yeah," Riley nodded. "He told me that it's just him and Haley."

"I wonder where the mom is," Smackle said.

"He didn't say," Riley shrugged. "He looked like she was the last person he wanted to talk about when I mentioned Haley's mom."

"Well that doesn't sound good," Maya widened her eyes before resting a hand on her baby bump. She was so thankful that Josh was by her side and that she wasn't doing this alone. She knew she wouldn't be able to make it through this without him by her side. He had been her rock through her entire pregnancy.

"Sounds really complicated," Smackle winced. She and Farkle didn't have any children of their own yet but she knew when the time came, he would be right by her side through it all.

"He's doing a great job raising her," Riley said.

"She's a good kid?" Maya asked.

"She's so sweet and so smart. She's one of my best students and I'm not just saying that," Riley said when she noticed that look Maya was giving her.

"Does she look like him?" Smackle asked.

"A little," Riley nodded. "They have the same eyes and smile. She has dark hair though and his is dirty blonde."

"I hope he calls you," Maya said.

"Really?" Riley asked, a sweet smile gracing her face.

"You seem different when you talk about him," Maya said. "I can't explain it but there is just something different about you."

Riley smiled at her best friend because she had felt the same way the moment she met Lucas. There was something incredibly different about him and the way he made her felt. She had been in relationships before, only one really serious one, but she never felt this way so instantly about the guys in the past. They never completely took her breath away at first glance. She couldn't explain it. She wanted to be able to understand it but she knew there was no point in trying. She had to just believe that everything was going to work out for the best.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Daddy?" Haley whispered. Lucas slowly opened his eyes when he realized the voice was a lot closer than he expected. Green eyes met green eyes and he could see the look of pure terror in his daughter's eyes. She was clutching her teddy bear and her lower lip was trembling.

"What's the matter, Hales?" Lucas asked. Ever since Haley was born, Lucas had taken to calling her Hales. It was his own special nickname for his daughter.

"I had a really bad dream," Haley said. He saw the tears start to well up in her eyes and he scooted over in his bed, gesturing for her to get in. She quickly crawled up into the bed and was immediately by her dad's side.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Lucas asked, wrapping an arm around her small body and placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"There was a giant monster chasing me," Haley said. She rested her head against Lucas's chest and he could tell that she was starting to calm down slightly.

"Well there are no monster's here," Lucas promised.

"Will you always protect me from them?" Haley asked, looking up at her dad. Her eyes were wide and begging for the reassurance that her dad would always protect her from the bad in the world.

"Always," Lucas promised. "You never have to be scared as long as I'm around."

"I love you daddy," Haley whispered.

"I love you too princess," Lucas kissed the top of her head again. It was silent for a minute and he was certain that she was falling back to sleep.

"Daddy?" Haley asked, clearly still awake.

"Yes?" Lucas asked.

"Why don't I have a mommy?" Haley asked.

He felt his heart clench because this would occasionally happen. Every so often, Haley would ask about her mom and why she wasn't around. He never knew how to answer her or how to explain the situation to his daughter. How did you tell your five year old that her mother ran off with another guy because she didn't want to be a mother? How do you tell your little girl that she just abandoned her and never looked back? When Haley's mom ran out on them, he vowed he would never let her feel unloved. He would never let his daughter feel like she had no one in her life.

"All the other kids at school have mommies," Haley went on when he didn't answer right away. "They always hug them and kiss them goodbye. Did my mommy not love me?"

"Oh Haley," Lucas whispered and pulled her closer. "I think she loved you too much and it scared her. You are so loved, princess. There are so many people in this world that love you, especially me."

"I bet they don't have Uncle Zay's," Haley said.

"I bet they don't," Lucas shook his head and laughed softly.

"You won't leave, right daddy?" Haley asked.

"Never," Lucas promised.

"Will I have a mommy one day?" Haley asked. He saw her yawn and knew that she was seconds away from falling back to sleep.

"I don't know," Lucas said.

"I hope one day I do," Haley said and then closed his eyes.

Lucas looked down and saw that his five year old had drifted off to sleep. He kissed her on the forehead and then pulled the comforter over her body. She looked peaceful and like she was drifting off into a world of sweet dreams. She wanted a mommy. When Haley said that she hoped for a mommy one day, Lucas was unable to stop his mind from drifting off to the one place it hadn't been able to avoid. An image of Riley Matthews filled his mind and filled his body with an unfamiliar feeling. He knew that her phone number was sitting on his dresser and just waiting for him to call it. He was so nervous though. He almost felt hesitant. He didn't know why because he knew something about the two of them felt right.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Hey," Lucas smiled as he walked up to where she was standing and then stopped right in front of her.

"Oh hi," Riley smiled and then ran a hand over the front of her dress. She was standing outside the front of the school and watching as all of her students rushed towards their mom and dad the minute they saw them.

"Where's Haley?" Lucas asked.

"Right there," Riley pointed at the little playground. The kids were allowed to play there if they didn't see their parents right away. She was swinging on the swings with a little boy from her class. She giggled at something he said and Lucas raised an eyebrow. Riley smiled at him because she could see his protectiveness kicking in. "Looks like young love," she teased.

"Should I be worried?" Lucas looked back over at Riley. He knew that it was innocent and that she was five years old but he couldn't stop himself. That was his baby and he would never be ready for the day that she was ready to start dating. He knew that he had years left before that happened though.

"I don't know," Riley bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. "I mean, they are five. The odds of them ending up together are very low. Unless you are my brother of course."

"What?" Lucas scrunched his eyebrows together.

"He and his fiancée met when they were five years old," Riley said. "They are twenty years old now and happily in love."

"No kidding," Lucas nodded. "You don't hear many people meeting the person they are going to spend their life with at five years old. That's amazing."

"Apparently that's how it works with my family and friends," Riley said. She realized that everyone she was close to had met their soulmate at a young age. Her parents were in middle school when they started their epic love story. Farkle and Smackle were in middle school when they decided to stop being nemesis's and start being on the same team. Even though it took Maya and Josh until high school to get together, she was still in elementary school when she met him.

"Everyone met their soulmate at five years old?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"No," Riley shook her head and laughed. "The rest were at least in middle school when they met."

"Talk about young love," Lucas laughed.

"We know what we want from a young age," Riley shrugged.

"Not you?" Lucas asked. He knew by her giving him her number that she had to be single and she didn't wear a wedding ring.

"I guess I was just waiting for the right someone to walk into my life," Riley said. She smiled shyly and he saw her blush. The two locked eyes for a minute and she felt her heart start to race. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to spend more time with him.

"Daddy!" Haley shrieked. The two adults blinked quickly and awkwardly broke eye contact. Riley turned away from the two of them and Lucas ran a hand over his face as his daughter came rushing over towards them. She jumped into Lucas's opened arms and hugged him tight.

"How was your day?" Lucas asked. He was trying to regain his composure and not think about how much he wanted to kiss Riley in that moment.

"Awesome!" Haley exclaimed. She held up her left hand and then proceeded to stick it in her dad's face. He saw a purple smiley face sticker on her hand. "Look, I got a sticker today."

"You did?" Lucas asked, a smile on his face. He noticed Riley out of the corner of his eye and could see that she was trying to not watch their interaction but failing miserably.

"I cleaned up all my toys and listened on the carpet," Haley nodded proudly. "Miss Matthews said I was a very good listener and that she was proud of me."

"That's amazing, princess. I'm so proud of you," Lucas said as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"Does this mean I get two scoops of ice cream tonight?" Haley asked.

"We'll see," Lucas laughed. He placed her on the ground and then reached out to grab her hand. "Ready to go?"

"Yup," Haley nodded. She turned around to face Riley and waved excitedly. "Bye, Miss Matthews!"

"Bye Haley," Riley waved back and smiled sweetly. She looked up at Lucas and bit her lip as she smiled at him. "Bye."

"Bye Riley," Lucas said before shooting her one more smile. It was a smile that made her heart melt and her stomach to fill with butterflies. A smile that she knew she could get used to.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Shoot! Don't hang up!" Riley exclaimed as she rushed out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped tightly around her body. Her phone was ringing and she didn't want to miss the call. What if Maya was in labor? She quickly answered without looking at the caller ID and breathlessly answered. "Hello?"

"Riley?" A deep voice boomed through the other end and she scrunched her eyebrows together. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was an unknown number.

"Yes," Riley said. "This is Riley."

 _"_ _It's Lucas. Lucas Friar," he said and then added. "Haley's dad."_

"Lucas," Riley widened her eyes and then smiled to herself. "Hi."

 _"_ _Hey," Lucas said._

"How are you?" Riley asked, taking a seat on her bed.

 _"_ _Good. I'm really good. How are you?" Lucas asked._

"I'm good," Riley said. She could feel the slight awkwardness and chuckled softly. She heard him chuckle on his end of the phone.

 _"_ _Feels slightly awkward, doesn't it?" Lucas asked._

"Just a little," Riley said. "I'm glad you called though."

 _"_ _Yeah?" Lucas asked, the smile evident in his tone._

"Yeah," Riley said.

 _"_ _I was actually calling for a reason," Lucas said._

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Riley asked.

 _"_ _I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me?" Lucas asked._

"Like a date?" Riley asked, a huge smile filling her face.

 _"_ _Yeah I was hoping it could be a date," Lucas said. "So, what do you say?"_

"I'd love to," Riley agreed.

 _"_ _Really?" Lucas asked._

"Absolutely," Riley said. She smiled wide and placed a hand on her chest. A date. She was going on a date with Lucas Friar.


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so so sorry for the delay between chapters! Things have been so crazy and busy with work and life. It has mostly settled down for now so updates will start coming regularly again. Last we left off, Lucas asked Riley on a date and she of course said yes! Again, I am so sorry for the delay. Thank you for your patience and continued support!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 4**

"Does this look to teacher like?" Riley asked, running her hands down the front of her dress uncertainly. She wanted to look perfect for her date with Lucas but she just kept doubting all of her outfit choices.

"Not at all," Maya shook her head. She shifted uncomfortably in the chair she was currently sitting in and let out a tired groan.

"Are you okay?" Riley asked, turning and raising an eyebrow at her best friend.

"I'm just incredibly uncomfortable these days," Maya said. Riley smiled sympathetically at her best friend because she knew that with only a week left until her due date the days were going to drag on.

"She'll be here before you know it!" Riley encouraged and that earned her a sweet smile from the pregnant blonde.

"Back to your problems," Maya said. Tonight was about Riley and her big date. She would still be pregnant and uncomfortable tomorrow. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes," Riley nodded almost instantly. She dropped down to her bed and stared up at the ceiling. "What if this is all too good to be true? What if things don't work out between us? What if I'm not what he is looking for?"

"You are Riley Matthews," Maya said as she slowly stood up from the chair and waddled over to the bed. She took a seat next to her best friend and then looked over at the brunette. "You are literally what every guy is looking for. The two of you already have such a great connection and I don't see that going away any time soon. You are going to have an amazing time tonight, I have no doubts about it."

"Thanks Peaches," Riley smiled at her and then sat up straight.

"Are you at least excited?" Maya asked.

"Extremely," Riley said. "I didn't sleep at all last night."

"Yeah I can tell," Maya teased. Riley shot her a look and then playfully rolled her eyes.

"So the dress is good?" Riley asked. It was a simple floral dress that rested on her knees and she matched it with a light pink cardigan. She just needed to slip on her brown boots and then she would be good to go.

"You look perfect," Maya promised. Riley stood up and then look at herself in the mirror. She had a good feeling about tonight. She had a good feeling about Lucas Friar.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Go fish," Haley shook her head and then giggled. It was a giggle to let Zay know that she was lying about the cards in front of her.

"Haley Grace Friar, are you cheating right now?" Zay narrowed his eyes at his goddaughter.

"No," Haley bit her lip and then widened her green eyes.

"You are about as good of a liar as your dad," Zay said.

"I heard that," Lucas said as he walked into the living room. He saw his daughter on the living room floor, leaning against the coffee table and Zay sitting across from her.

"You were supposed to," Zay smirked as he looked up at his best friend. "Well don't you look nice."

"Be quiet," Lucas rolled his eyes as he stuffed his wallet into his khaki's. The green polo that he was wearing matched his emerald green eyes.

"Where are you going daddy?" Haley asked, looking up at her dad.

"I'm having dinner with a friend tonight," Lucas said as he squatted down next to his daughter. He was waiting to see how things went with Riley before he told his daughter that he was dating his teacher. That was a conversation that he was extremely nervous to have.

"Will you bring me back a cookie?" Haley asked.

"Maybe," Lucas smiled at her. "You be a good girl for Uncle Zay, okay?"

"Okay," Haley nodded. He knew that she would be and that she would have a great night. She loved spending time with his best friend and he knew she would spend the majority of the night laughing.

"We are going to order pizza as soon as you walk out of the door," Zay said.

"Pizza!" Haley's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together in excitement.

"I will take that as my cue," Lucas chuckled. He leaned forward and kissed his daughter's forehead. "I will see you later, princess."

"Bye daddy!" Haley smiled wide and then hugged him once more. "Have fun tonight."

"I will," Lucas smiled. He knew that he would have fun. There was no way he wouldn't have fun with Riley Matthews as his date.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Purple cats?" Lucas repeated, an amused smile on his face. The two were sitting down to dinner in a restaurant that Lucas had picked out and so far everything was going well and the conversation was flowing easily between the two.

"I swear I have no idea where the obsession came from," Riley chuckled. "One day I was in art class and I was drawing a purple cat, or at least I thought I was. My best friend swears it was a purple blob."

"Your best friend is the artist right?" Lucas asked. She had just finished telling him about all of her friends and he was trying to remember them all.

"She is," Riley nodded. "She is the one who is married to my uncle and currently pregnant with their first child."

"So that makes her your aunt?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Well she likes to tease me about that but we stick to the title best friends," Riley laughed. Lucas smiled because he swore her laugh was the most beautiful sound in the whole world. "So, which do you like better? Living in New York or living in Texas?"

"Oh man," Lucas widened his eyes and then took a sip of his water. "That's a tough one. I miss the country life and having a farm but there is just something about the city that I love."

"Did you have your own farm?" Riley asked, really curious about his Texas life.

"Of course," Lucas nodded. "It was almost a pre-requisite living in Texas that you had to have your own farm."

"So you had horses and all?" Riley asked.

"Twenty-four," Lucas said.

"Really?" Riley's eyes widened. "That's a lot!"

"Definitely a lot of work to take care of them" Lucas said.

"I've never actually ridden a horse before," Riley admitted and she could see the surprise on his face.

"You haven't?" Lucas asked.

"Nope," Riley shook her head. If it wasn't their first date, Lucas would have invited her to Texas right then and there. He would have shown her around his family's farm and taken her on her very first horse ride. He was going to wait though. He had a good feeling about her and knew that eventually the time would come for her to come to Texas with him and Haley.

"Maybe one day you will get to," Lucas said.

"Maybe," Riley nodded with a smile. She, like Lucas, had a good feeling. She had a good feeling that he would be the one to take her horseback riding for the very first time and that was something she looked forward to.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"I don't think there has ever been a situation chocolate ice cream couldn't solve for me," Riley admitted as she ate another scoop of her chocolate ice cream. The two had just finished dinner and were now aimlessly walking around the city with their ice cream. Neither wanted the night to end so they were taking advantage of the time.

"That's like my daughter," Lucas said. "If I don't have a carton of chocolate ice cream at all times, she will freak out."

"She's a great girl," Riley said. Haley was one of her best students and one of the sweetest little girls she had ever met. She knew she was slightly biased because of Lucas but that didn't change the fact that Haley was a great girl. She could tell almost right away that she was raised right.

"She's the best," Lucas said. "She is honestly the best thing I've ever done in life. From the moment I rested my eyes on her, I have loved her with all of my heart and soul. There isn't anything in the world I wouldn't do for her."

"I can tell," Riley said.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Your eyes," Riley said as she looked up into his eyes. "They light up whenever you talk about Haley. I can just feel the love radiating off of you."

"I know it's going to be hard for her as she gets older without a mom," Lucas sighed as the two stopped walking and he leaned against a railing. "I just don't ever want her to feel like she can't come to me. I want her to know she is completely loved in this world, despite her mom leaving her."

"She will," Riley nodded. "You're a great dad, Lucas. There is no way that little girl will ever feel unloved. You have plenty of love to give her."

"Thanks Riley," Lucas smiled.

"For what?" Riley scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Knowing exactly what to say," Lucas said. "Most people just smile sympathetically at me. It's almost like they are afraid to be honest with me."

"Anytime," Riley smiled.

The two locked eyes and for almost a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the world. Everything around them seemed to disappear and it was just Riley and Lucas. There was a spark in both of their chests as they inched closer to each other. She felt Lucas reach out and brush a piece of hair off of her face. Her skin tingled at the contact and her heart started to pound in her chest. She didn't normally kiss on the first date. It wasn't something she usually did but she was considering making an exception. She considered leaning forward and crashing her lips against Lucas's. Suddenly a loud sound caused the two to jump apart and they both looked around flustered.

"Uh, are you ready?" Lucas asked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah," Riley nodded as she ran her fingers through her hair. She knew he wanted to kiss her and if they hadn't been interrupted that was exactly what would have happened.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"You didn't have to take the subway back with me," Riley said. She looked down at where he was sitting and smiled sweetly at him.

"I wanted to," Lucas insisted. "Are you sure you don't want to sit?"

"Absolutely," Riley nodded. "I'm one of those weird people who enjoy standing."

"If you say so," Lucas chuckled. She laughed and was about to say something when she felt the subway jerk forward slightly. She grabbed onto the railing and leaned against it. Eventually she lost her grip and stumbled backwards, right into Lucas's lap. He caught her effortlessly and the two laughed softly.

"Thanks," Riley smiled.

"Anytime," Lucas nodded.

"You know?" Riley raised an eyebrow and saw him raise his own eyebrow at her. "This would have been a pretty cute way to meet each other."

"Girl falls on subway right into boys lap? That has love story written all over it," Lucas agreed.

"How about girl kisses boy on the subway?" Riley asked.

"What-?" Lucas started to say but he wasn't able to finish his sentence.

Riley reached out and grabbed his face in both of her hands. The two locked eyes but only for a second. Their faces met halfway and their lips crashed together. It was sweet and tender. It was a kiss that sent sparks and fireworks straight to both of their chests. It felt absolutely right and like they had an undeniable connection. She felt Lucas's hands rest on her hips as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She eventually pulled back and they shared a smile.

"I like that story better," Lucas said.

"Me too," Riley agreed, never breaking eye contact with him. It was only the beginning for them. It was only the start of their love story. A love story that would continue to grow and face different obstacles but for now, they were okay. For now, they were both content with where they were headed. It was a journey that they wanted to take together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 5**

There was a smile on Riley's face that never seemed to disappear. For the last four days she was walking around in an almost blissful state of mind. Everything seemed brighter and happier to her. She was convinced that the sun was even shining brighter. She met a guy. She met a guy with dirty blonde hair and emerald green eyes that seemed to pierce through her body. She met a guy with a beautiful five year old daughter. She met Lucas Friar and she was falling for him a little more with each passing day.

After their first date, Riley was almost certain that she was living in a dream world. She had convinced herself that it was too good to be true as she rested in her bed that night. Then he called her the next morning and asked her out for coffee. She stared at her phone for a moment before agreeing. They talked about the little things. She found out his favorite color was green and it took him no time at all to realize her favorite color was purple. He learned she needed cream in her coffee or she couldn't drink it. She smiled when she realized just how obsessed he was with chocolate.

"Riley!" Maya exclaimed and then snapped her fingers in front of her best friend's face again.

"What?" Riley blinked quickly. "Did you say something?"

"You look about a million miles away," Smackle said.

"Sorry," Riley winced and smiled sweetly at her two friends. "I was a little distracted."

"Does this have anything to do with the green eyed boy you won't let us meet?" Maya smirked and saw the blush fill her best friend's cheeks.

"It's not that I won't let you meet him," Riley insisted. "It's just too new right now. He hasn't even told Haley yet."

"Sneaking around behind the daughter's back?" Smackle raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds scandalous," Maya teased.

"We aren't sneaking around behind her back," Riley rolled her eyes and then took a sip of her coffee. She rested her back against one of the couches in Topanga's and chose her words carefully. "We are just trying to figure out what we are first before we confuse her."

"So it's we?" Smackle asked.

"I think so," Riley nodded. "I mean, we've been out numerous times and really enjoy being together."

"Have you kissed?" Maya asked. Riley nearly choked on her sip of coffee and saw both of them widen their eyes. "You totally have!"

"You did!" Smackle exclaimed.

"I don't kiss and tell," Riley shook her head. She knew that it gave both of them their answers and she tried to hide her smile behind her coffee cup. She smiled as she remembered their first kiss. It was probably the best kiss of her entire life.

"Are you happy?" Maya asked, a serious note in her voice.

"Very," Riley nodded. "For the first time in a very long time I am really happy."

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Why are you smiling?" Haley asked, leaning forward and resting her chin in her hands.

"What do you mean?" Lucas narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm always smiling."

"Not this much," Haley shook her head. "You look extra happy."

"Maybe because I love you so much," Lucas suggested. He resisted the urge to laugh to himself. He felt like he was being interrogated by his five year old daughter.

"But you always love me so much," Haley pointed out.

"I do," Lucas agreed. There was no denying that.

"Morning Friar family," Zay greeted as he walked into the apartment.

"Uncle Zay!" Haley exclaimed and jumped down from her chair in the kitchen the moment she heard his voice. She rushed into the living room and jumped into her uncle's arms.

"Hey little one," Zay kissed her cheek and held her in his arms.

"I'm not little," Haley made a face and he smirked.

"You'll always be little to me," Zay insisted. He carried her back into the kitchen and nodded at his best friend. "What's for breakfast?"

"Daddy made pancakes!" Haley exclaimed.

"He did, did he?" Zay asked.

"Because he's really happy," Haley said as Zay put her down and she took her seat at the table again.

"Is he now?" Zay asked, smirking at his best friend. He saw Lucas roll his eyes and he had to remind himself to not make a comment about Riley.

"He said he always smiles this much but it's not true," Haley continued to explain.

"Yeah," Zay agreed as he took a seat next to her. "Your dad isn't a very smiley guy."

"I am too!" Lucas disagreed.

"Since when?" Zay raised an eyebrow at him.

"He said he's happy because he loves me so much," Haley said.

"Well I know that's true," Zay said. "You are your dad's favorite person in the whole wide world."

"Really?" Haley's eyes widened in excitement.

"Absolutely," Zay nodded.

"You're my favorite person too daddy," Haley looked up at her dad and flashed him a cute smile.

"Why don't you go grab your backpack so we can go to school?" Lucas suggested.

"Okay!" Haley jumped down from the table and rushed out of the room.

"So?" Zay raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

"So what?" Lucas asked, starting to clear the dishes off the table.

"Have you decided when you are going to tell Haley?" Zay asked.

"No," Lucas shook his head. "I'm not even sure if we are officially together or not."

"Oh you are totally together," Zay said. "It's just a matter of the two of you saying it."

"What if Haley hates it?" Lucas asked, sitting down at the table with his best friend. "What if she hates the idea of me with Riley?"

"Well, for starters she's five. She's still young. Secondly, doesn't she love Riley?" Zay asked.

"She does," Lucas nodded. "But she loves her as her teacher, not my girlfriend."

"I think it's going to be okay," Zay insisted. "From what you've told me, Riley sounds amazing. She sounds like the perfect girl for you and I can't imagine her not being great with Haley on a personal level. I think you're overthinking it."

"Maybe," Lucas sighed heavily.

"I'm ready!" Haley exclaimed as she walked back into the kitchen with her backpack on her back now.

"Let's get you to school," Lucas said as he stood up and clapped his hands together.

"Yay!" Haley cheered.

"I'm not sure which is more excited," Zay mumbled and then winced when Lucas shot him a look. Lucas couldn't deny what his best friend said though. Despite his nerves, he was incredibly excited to see Riley.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Good morning, Miss Matthews!" Haley exclaimed with a bright smile. Riley turned away from the mom she was talking to and immediately felt her heart start to race. Lucas was smiling at her and she had to remember where they were.

"Good morning Haley," Riley crouched down to her height and smiled at the brown haired girl. Her green eyes were staring back at her and Riley remembered the matching eyes that she got lost in the other night.

"Are we going to color today?" Haley asked. It was clear what Haley's favorite part of school was to both her dad and her teacher.

"We are," Riley nodded. "I have a fun craft planned for us."

"Really?" Haley's eyes widened in complete excitement.

"I do," Riley smiled. She gestured Haley into the classroom and then stood up to smile at Lucas. "Hey."

"Hi," Lucas smiled at her. "I think you're Haley's favorite person in the world."

"No way," Riley shook her head. "I could never compare to her father."

"How are you?" Lucas asked.

"I'm good," Riley nodded. "I was thinking about you this morning."

"Oh yeah?" Lucas raised an eyebrow at her and then saw the blush fill her cheeks.

"Yeah," Riley bit her lip. "I was hoping that we could maybe get dinner again soon. You know, to talk."

"To talk?" Lucas repeated. "Did I do something bad?"

"What?" Riley widened her eyes. "Absolutely not."

"Is it about us being an official couple?" Lucas asked.

"How did you know?" Riley asked.

"Because I wanted to talk about it too," Lucas said and then looked around at the school parking lot. "I just didn't think we'd do it when I dropped Haley off at school."

"I know I'm sorry," Riley winced. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"I'm glad you did," Lucas insisted.

"Really?" Riley raised a skeptical eyebrow. "So us being official is something you want?"

"Let me put it this way," Lucas said and then took a small step closer to her. It was close enough that she could feel his breath on her but far enough away that it didn't look too intimate in public. "If we weren't at my daughter's school in front of all these parents and students, I would kiss you right now."

"Lucas," Riley bit her lip and could feel the blush growing even more on her cheeks.

"Does that answer your question?" Lucas asked.

"Yes," Riley nodded and then lowered her voice. "Boyfriend."

"I like the sound of that," Lucas smiled.

"For what it's worth," Riley raised an eyebrow and then moved so she was standing right next to him. Their shoulders were touching and she turned her head slightly to face him. "I want to kiss you too."

Lucas watched as she walked towards the school and felt his heart start to speed up. She was walking so gracefully and she was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He knew that no one was perfect but Riley Matthews came pretty close to it in his mind. She was someone that he only wanted to continue to get to know and he would have that chance now. She was his girlfriend. Lucas Friar was Riley Matthews's boyfriend and he was completely okay with that.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Can I ask you something?" Riley asked. The two were wandering around the city after dinner and enjoying just being together.

"Sure," Lucas nodded. He leaned against the railing as the two stopped walking and looked over at his girlfriend.

"Are we going to tell Haley about us?" Riley asked.

"Absolutely," Lucas said. "I don't want to hide this from anyone."

"My friends all ask about you," Riley said. "They all want to meet you."

"My best friend is always pestering me about meeting you," Lucas said.

"He helps you with Haley, right?" Riley asked.

"More than helps," Lucas nodded. "I don't know how I would have done it without him and his fiancée. I owe the two of them so much for all of their help."

"What about your mom and dad?" Riley asked. "They live in Texas right?"

"Yeah," Lucas said. "They were mad that I didn't move back there once Haley was born. They thought I should have raised her there."

"Why?" Riley scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Said I would be raising her alone here," Lucas said. "They hated Haley's mom and made that very clear. They feel like it was her fault I left Texas."

"Was it?" Riley asked. She knew he left Texas to go to college in New York but she was curious if it was because of Haley's mom.

"I guess partly," Lucas admitted. "I was so young and thought our love was some kind of forever love. I was completely wrong but I got Haley out of it so I would do it all over again if I had the chance."

"She hurt you badly, didn't she?" Riley softly asked. She saw Lucas look down so she reached out to grab his hand. He looked up into her eyes and she looked back into them. She could see the pain and betrayal in his beautiful green eyes. She lowered her voice and took a step closer to him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Riley," Lucas whispered. She took another step closer to him and rested a hand on his chest. He covered the hand on his chest with his own and kept their eyes locked. She slowly lifted herself up on her tiptoes and was about to close the gap between them when her phone cut them off.

"I'll ignore it," Riley insisted but she saw Lucas shake his head.

"It could be important," Lucas insisted. He didn't mind her taking a phone call. There would be plenty of time to kiss later.

"I'm sorry," Riley winced and then quickly answered the phone. "Hello?"

 _"_ _Riley!" Josh bellowed into the phone._

"Uncle Josh?" Riley asked, scrunching her eyebrows together in confusion.

 _"_ _Get to the hospital!" Josh said. "Maya's in labor."_

"What?" Riley shrieked.

 _"_ _Riles!" Maya yelled and she could hear the pain in her tone. "I need you, now!"_

"I'll be there," Riley promised before she heard the phone hang up.

"Is everything okay?" Lucas's voice startled her. She looked up and saw him looking at her intently.

"My best friend is in labor," Riley said and then widened her eyes. "Oh my gosh, my best friend and uncle are about to have a baby."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 6**

"Uncle Josh!" Riley exclaimed as she rushed down the hallway in the hospital. Josh immediately looked up and a look of relief filled his face.

"Riley," Josh breathed out and rushed towards her. The uncle and niece shared a quick hug before he pulled back to look at her.

"Where is she? How is she?" Riley asked.

"Well," Josh scratched the back of his neck and then looked in the direction of her hospital room. "I've been banned from the room until you show up."

"That bad?" Riley winced.

"Apparently this is all of my fault," Josh sighed and ran a tired hand over his face. "I just want to help her but she's in so much pain."

"She doesn't mean it," Riley insisted and rested a hand on her uncle's arm. "In no time at all, you're the one she is going to want right by her side."

"I guess," Josh nodded and then noticed the male right behind his niece. "You were on a date?"

"Oh," Riley widened her eyes and then turned around to face her boyfriend. "Yeah, we were out when you called. He offered to walk with me here since we weren't that far away."

"That's nice of you," Josh said and then stepped forward with an extended hand. "I'm Josh. Riley's uncle."

"It's nice to meet you," Lucas said as he clasped onto his hand. "Lucas. Lucas Friar."

"Any advice on this whole labor thing?" Josh asked, remembering that Lucas had been through this once before. Riley smiled sweetly at how her uncle asked her boyfriend for advice. She knew that the two of them were going to get along really well.

"Just be there for her," Lucas said. "She may yell but all she really wants is to know that you're there for her."

"I should probably go check on her," Josh nudged his head in the direction of her hospital room. "I'll tell Maya that you're here."

"Thanks," Riley smiled at her uncle.

"It was nice to meet you man," Josh said and Lucas nodded at him as he watched the expectant father walk away.

"That was nice of you," Riley leaned into her boyfriend's side and smiled up at him.

"What?" Lucas scrunched his eyebrows together as he looked down at her.

"Giving him advice," Riley said.

"It was nothing," Lucas insisted. "He seems nice."

"He's the best," Riley said. "He's also the easiest going of the group."

"Oh yeah?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Riley nodded. "Him and Farkle."

"Good to know," Lucas chuckled.

"I'm going to go check on Maya and see how she's doing," Riley said.

"I'll wait over here for you," Lucas said as he gestured in the direction of empty chairs.

"You don't have to," Riley insisted.

"I want to," Lucas said.

"I'll be back," Riley smiled at him. She lifted herself up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. It sent a rush of butterflies through her stomach and she smiled at him one more time.

"I'll be waiting," Lucas said as he watched her walk away. He would never get tired of the feeling he got when he saw her.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"You're telling me that he's out in the waiting area?" Maya asked, her blue eyes wide as she looked at her best friend.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," Riley nodded.

"And you got to meet him before I did?" Maya looked over at her husband and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I wasn't planning on it," Josh said. "You are a little preoccupied at the moment."

"I want to meet him!" Maya exclaimed.

"Why don't you wait until you have my goddaughter and then you can meet him?" Riley suggested. "I don't think this is exactly the way you want to see him for the first time."

"I guess you're right," Maya groaned.

"How are you feeling?" Riley asked, resting a hand on her best friend's arm.

"Ready for her to be born," Maya sighed and tossed her head back on the pillows.

"She'll be here before you know it," Riley insisted. She saw the doctor walk into the room and inform the three that she wanted to run a quick check of Maya. Riley excused herself after shooting her best friend a smile.

"Hey," Lucas greeted when he saw her walking back in his direction.

"Hey," Riley smiled as she took a seat next to him.

"How is she?" Lucas asked.

"Stubborn and grumpy," Riley chuckled. "She's just ready for their daughter to be born."

"Have they decided on a name for her?" Lucas asked.

"Sophia Amy Matthews," Riley said. "Amy is my grandma's name and Maya's just always loved the name Sophia."

"That's a really pretty name," Lucas said.

"How did you decide on the name Haley?" Riley asked.

"It's my mom's middle name," Lucas said. "And Grace is Haley's middle name. That's Haley's mom's middle name."

"How old was Haley when she left?" Riley softly asked. Lucas had given her bits and pieces of information about Haley's mom but never the whole story. She knew the hospital was not the place for that conversation but she couldn't help herself from asking.

"Six months," Lucas said. "She dropped her off at day care and then never picked her up. The day care called me because they were concerned and that's when I found the letter at home. She said it was too much for her and she wasn't happy."

"My gosh," Riley gasped. It broke her heart to think that someone could just walk out on their baby like that. That they could just walk away from an innocent child and never look back.

"We are okay," Lucas insisted. He saw the sad look on her face so he reached out and grabbed her hand. "It made me stronger and Haley was young enough that she had no idea what happened to her."

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that," Riley said as she squeezed his hand. "I can't imagine someone walking out on someone as amazing as you and especially someone as perfect as Haley."

"It brought us to you," Lucas said. "Haley's mom always talked about leaving the city and I was so against it. It was one of our biggest fights."

"I'm glad that you stayed," Riley said. She scooted closer to him and they were only inches apart.

"I'm really glad that I stayed too," Lucas said. He leaned forward and she rested her forehead against his. They closed their eyes and kept their foreheads together. Lucas knew he had to open up about his relationship with Haley's mom. He needed to be honest about the pain and heartbreak that he went through but for right now it was enough. For right now, the two felt closer than ever.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

Sophia Amy Matthews was born at eleven fifteen that night. She had Maya's blonde fuzz on the top of her head and Josh's shade of blue eyes. Everyone who looked at the little girl fell in love with her instantly. Tears were shed and Sophia had already imprinted herself in all of her family and friends hearts. They knew that she was going to be destined for greatness and everyone was anxious to see what she did with her life. As long as she was happy though, that's all that mattered to them.

 _"_ _So, she's perfect?" Lucas asked into the phone._

"Absolutely," Riley said.

 _"_ _Who does she look like?" Lucas asked._

"They both say it's too soon to tell but I definitely think she's going to look more like Maya," Riley said as she dropped onto her bed.

 _"_ _Did you just get home?" Lucas asked._

"Yeah," Riley said. "I wanted to stay with her as long as I could. I'm going to be dead at work tomorrow."

 _"_ _You'll get to see my smiling face," Lucas teased._

"The only bright part to my day," Riley said.

 _"_ _I was thinking that we should tell Haley soon," Lucas said._

"Really?" Riley asked, the surprise clear as day in her voice.

 _"_ _I mean if you want to," Lucas insisted._

"I want to," Riley said. "I would love to."

 _"_ _I was thinking I should probably talk to her myself first and then bring you in," Lucas said._

"I think that's a good idea," Riley agreed.

 _"_ _I'll let you get some sleep," Lucas said._

"Good night Lucas," Riley said.

 _"_ _Sweet dreams Riley," Lucas said._

Riley hung up the phone and held it to her chest. The two had not been dating that long. It had only been a few weeks since they started talking to each other and two weeks since they went on their first date. It was so soon to be having such powerful thoughts but she had a feeling. There was a feeling that Lucas left in her heart that she couldn't explain. He was someone that she wanted around for a long time and it felt like she had known him her entire life. She wasn't going to rush it though. She was going to let it take its course and see where they went.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"She's absolutely perfect," Riley gushed as she rocked her goddaughter in her arms. Sophia was sleeping peacefully in her arms and the brunette was convinced this little girl was absolutely perfect in every way.

"She is, isn't she?" Maya smiled at the baby in her best friend's arms. Riley looked up at the blonde and smiled to herself. The new mother looked absolutely exhausted but she was radiating. She had this new glow to her that made her even more beautiful than she already was.

"How are you?" Riley asked. It had been a week since Maya brought Sophia home from the hospital and she knew the new parents were still trying to adjust.

"I'm trying to adjust to the no sleep thing but she's worth. I'd gladly take no sleep just to watch her sleep or take care of her," Maya said. She took a seat next to her best friend on the couch and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" Riley asked, noticing the look her best friend was giving her.

"How's Lucas?" Maya asked.

"Good," Riley smiled and a slight blush filled her cheeks. "He's telling Haley today."

"He is?" Maya widened her eyes in surprise.

"Yeah," Riley nodded. "He figured it was time."

"Well that's good, right?" Maya asked.

"I think so," Riley said.

"Why do you seem so hesitant?" Maya asked.

"I guess by him telling Haley, it makes it so real. It's not just the two of us anymore. His daughter is involved now," Riley explained. "It seems a whole lot more serious now."

"Is that a bad thing?" Maya asked.

"No," Riley shook her head. She looked down at Sophia and smiled softly. "Not at all."

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Would you like more ice-cream?" Lucas asked.

"More?" Haley widened her eyes. "But I'm only allowed one scoop after dinner."

"I think we can make an exception tonight," Lucas said as he scooped more chocolate ice-cream into her bowl.

"Thanks daddy!" Haley exclaimed as she scooped some onto her spoon and into her mouth.

"So, I wanted to ask you something," Lucas said.

"What's that?" Haley asked, looking up at her dad.

"What do you think of Miss Matthews?" Lucas asked. His heart started to flutter just thinking about her and he could see his five year old pondering his question.

"I really like her," Haley finally said. "She's the best teacher ever. She's so nice and she is so smart."

"What would you think if I started to see her more?" Lucas asked. He was trying to gently bring the topic up but not sure how to do it without confusing her.

"What do you mean?" Haley scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Well I really like Miss Matthews and she makes me very happy. I was hoping that you would be okay if I went out on dates with her and if she was my girlfriend," Lucas explained. He saw Haley staring at him and for the first time in his life he was nervous. He was nervous of the response from a five year old.

"She makes you happy?" Haley asked.

"She does princess," Lucas nodded.

"Am I still your favorite girl?" Haley asked, almost hesitantly.

"Haley Grace," Lucas said and then lifted her up from her chair and into his lap. "You will always be my favorite girl. No one in the world can ever replace you or take that role from you."

"Will she eat pizza with us?" Haley asked.

"If you would like her to," Lucas chuckled.

"Then okay," Haley nodded. "I just want you to be happy, daddy."

"I love you Haley Grace," Lucas said and held her close to his chest. Her kind heart and young wisdom continued to take his breath away. He was so proud of the person she was becoming and her heart was bigger than most five year olds.

"I love you too daddy," Haley smiled up at her dad.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"I'm coming!" Riley called out. She rushed into the living room and swung open the front door of her apartment. She smiled when she saw Lucas on the other side and then gasped in surprise when he crashed his lips against hers. She immediately wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he pulled her closer by the waist. He eventually pulled back and smiled at his girlfriend. "Well you're not the pizza guy."

"I'm not," Lucas laughed.

"That was definitely a surprise, amazing but surprise. What's gotten into you?" Riley asked. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I told her," Lucas said. "I told her about us dating."

"Haley?" Riley asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yeah," Lucas nodded.

"I'm guessing it went well?" Riley asked.

"She asked if you were going to join us for pizza," Lucas smirked. "Which is the highest compliment in the world coming from her."

"Well I do love pizza," Riley teased.

"I have to get back to her. Zay stopped by so I took the opportunity to come here and tell you," Lucas said.

"You could have just called," Riley said.

"Nah," Lucas shook his head. "I wanted to see you."

"Well I'm glad you did," Riley smiled. Lucas leaned forward and kissed her once more.

"Good night Riley," Lucas said as he brushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Good night," Riley whispered and then watched him walk out the front door.

Lucas walked down the hallway towards the elevator and smiled to himself. It all felt so perfect. Everything in his life felt right for the first time in a long time. Haley was happy and he was happy. The two of them found someone that would fit into their lives perfectly. Riley was everything he had been looking for in a partner and more. She lit up a room and made him feel like he was worth more. She made him feel like he was enough. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he slammed right into another person.

"I'm so sorry," Lucas quickly apologized and reached out to grab the other persons arm to steady them.

"No problem," she said. Lucas froze in his step, he knew that voice. He would recognize that voice anywhere. He looked down at her face and she looked up at him. "Lucas?" She whispered, clearly as surprised as he was feeling.

"Megan," Lucas whispered. Looking back at him, with the blue eyes that had captivated him so long ago, was Haley's mother. His stomach dropped and he felt frozen in his spot. What was she doing here?


	7. Chapter 7

**Uh oh, the baby momma is back! I mean, we all saw it coming, right? We needed a little drama. It was all too perfect and happy! The baby momma was never going to be Missy. I was not a fan of that character and I wanted to create a completely different character. Thank you for your continued support. You're all amazing!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 7**

"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked, finally regaining some of his composure. In a matter of two minutes, he went from blissfully happy to incredibly confused.

"I'm in town visiting some friends," Megan said. He looked her over and she still looked the same to him. Her blue eyes were as bright as ever. Her dark brown hair was styled short and resting in loose curls on her shoulders. She looked as petite as she did back when they dated.

"Oh," Lucas nodded. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and then shrugged his shoulders. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Megan said. He saw her run her hands down her jeans and her left hand was bare. The last he saw she was married, so her empty ring finger was a surprise to him. "How are you?"

"Good," Lucas said and then smiled softly as he thought of Riley. "Really good."

"How's-," Megan trailed off and awkwardly looked down.

"She's good," Lucas said. "She's happy."

"I can't believe she's five already," Megan said. Lucas noticed the distant look on her face and it made his stomach turn uncomfortably. He was not looking forward or even slightly interested in having a conversation with her about his daughter.

"Don't do this," Lucas shook his head.

"Do what?" Megan raised an eyebrow at him. "I can't ask about my daughter? I can't even be curious about how she is doing?"

"No," Lucas snapped. He suddenly felt incredibly angry with his ex-girlfriend and wanted to leave before he said something he'd regret. "You can't ask about her. You lost that right."

"Lucas," Megan sighed. He remembered how he used to love the way she said his name. It sounded so sweet and breathless. Now it annoyed him and he wanted to be anywhere else in the world. "I made a mistake. I want to fix that mistake. I was young, can't you understand that?"

"And I was old?" Lucas narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't want to hear your excuses. You left her. You didn't want to be her mother and you got your wish. She and I are doing just fine without you."

"Don't say that," Megan shook her head. He could see the regret and pain in her eyes but he didn't care. He had spent too many sleepless nights wondering what he did wrong and how he was going to raise his little girl without a mother. He spent too many years repairing his heart that she had broken into a ton of little pieces. He was not going to let her just waltz back into their lives like it was nothing.

"Stay away from us and go back to your husband," Lucas said. He knew he was being harsh but he didn't care. She had lost the right to earn any sort of kindness from him.

"We're divorced," Megan said. "He cheated on me."

"You're not just visiting friends, are you?" Lucas asked, the dread starting to fill him.

"I'm here to get to know my daughter," Megan said. "I'm here for my family."

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"She's here for her family?" Zay repeated. Vanessa, Zay's fiancée, narrowed her eyes and sat up straight.

"Who exactly is this family she's talking about?" Vanessa asked.

"Vanessa," Lucas shot her a look.

"I know she's not talking about you and Haley," Vanessa said. "She lost the right to call the two of you her family the moment she left Haley at the day care and left you that stupid note."

"Her family is that jerk she ran away with and married," Zay added. Lucas looked at his two best friends and felt a rush of love go through him. Their support and loyalty continued to blow him away. He wasn't sure how he would survive if it wasn't for the two of them.

"Their divorced," Lucas said.

"What?" Vanessa widened her eyes. "So that's why she came running back? She thought she could just go back to the way things were before?"

"I guess," Lucas shrugged.

"Are you okay?" Zay asked, seeing the confused and frustrated look on his best friend's face. He knew his best friend was probably a mess right now but he had come a long way. He didn't want to see him fall back into a bad place because of her reappearance.

"I don't know," Lucas sighed. "I had accepted that I was never going to see her again. I had come to peace with the fact that Haley was never going to get the chance to know her birth mother. Now everything is a mess."

"How can we help?" Vanessa asked, reaching out and resting a hand on Lucas's shoulder.

"Tell me what to do," Lucas said. He looked between his two best friends and saw their sympathetic looks. "Tell me what to say to her. Tell me how to make this all go away."

"We can't do that," Zay shook his head. "Unfortunately this is something that is going to have to play out on its own."

Lucas nodded because he knew his best friend was right. He knew that there was no right answer on how to fix all of this. There was no solution to this problem. He was going to have to get used to the idea of Megan being in the city again. He was going to have to deal with the fact that she would be making her presence known. He was just going to have to figure out how he wanted to handle it. He was going to protect Haley from any pain that was headed in her direction.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"When do I get to meet him?" Farkle asked. Riley looked up from her papers and saw her friend standing right in front of her.

"Farkle!" Riley smiled wide and gestured for him to sit right across from her at the table.

"Don't avoid the question!" Farkle demanded as he took a seat across from her.

"I'm not," Riley rolled her eyes and then laughed softly. "The timing just hasn't fallen into place yet."

"The timing hasn't fallen into place yet?" Farkle repeated. "That's a horrible excuse!"

"It's not an excuse," Riley insisted.

"You look happy," Farkle said.

"I am happy," Riley smiled. "For the first time in a while, I am really happy."

"He treats you right?" Farkle asked. Riley bit her lip to stop from laughing. She could see just how protective her friend was getting. Ever since they were little kids, Farkle had always been super protective over her. He insisted that he would do just about anything to make sure she was happy and safe.

"He treats me amazing," Riley nodded. "He's different. I can't explain it. There's just something about him that I can't put my finger on."

"I get it," Farkle nodded. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He ran his finger over his silver wedding band and nodded again. He felt the same way about Smackle. He had never been able to explain his feelings for her and that was how he knew she was the one for him.

"It's different this time," Riley said.

"I just don't want to see you go through what you did in college," Farkle said. Riley felt her heart drop because she knew exactly what he was talking about. The pain that filled her stomach was still a reminder of why she was so guarded with her heart.

"It won't be," Riley shook her head. "I won't let it be."

"Hey," Farkle reached out and rested a hand on top of her hand. She looked up and smiled at him. "If he makes you happy, then I know I'm going to like him. I can already see how great he is."

"Thanks Farkle," Riley said.

"Now how about you buy me a coffee and I'll help you write your lesson plan?" Farkle suggested.

"Deal," Riley laughed.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Can I go play on the playground?" Haley asked once the class got outside for dismissal. Riley did a quick scan of the parking lot and when she didn't see Lucas, she nodded. She knew because of his job, Lucas sometimes got there a few minutes late. He felt terrible about it but his little girl understood.

"Sure thing," Riley said. Haley dropped her backpack by Riley's feet and rushed off towards the parking. Riley chuckled and watched her rush away. She adored that little girl.

"Is that your daughter?" A voice startled her from her thoughts.

"What?" Riley blinked out of her thoughts and turned to face the woman in front of her.

"Is that your little girl?" She asked, gesturing in the direction of Haley.

"Oh no," Riley shook her head. "I'm her teacher."

"Oh," the woman nodded. For a moment, it looked like she was relieved to hear that answer. Riley scrunched her eyebrows together because she didn't recognize this woman as a parent or relative of any of her students.

"I'm sorry," Riley quickly apologized. "What was your name?"

"Oh right! I'm Megan," she quickly introduced.

"Are you a relative of one of the students?" Riley asked. She was still confused and skeptical of the woman in front of her.

"You could say that," Megan nodded.

"Are you authorized to pick them up?" Riley asked.

"Oh no," Megan shook her head. "I'm just stopping by."

"Oh," Riley said.

"What did you say your name was?" Megan asked.

"I didn't say," Riley shook her head. "It's Miss Matthews."

"It was nice to meet you Miss Matthews," Megan said and then quickly rushed out of the parking lot.

"You too," Riley mumbled to herself and then felt a tap on her leg. She looked down and saw Haley looking up at her, her green eyes wide in excitement. "Hi Haley."

"My daddy is here!" Haley exclaimed.

"He is?" Riley scrunched her eyebrows together and then looked up. She saw Lucas walking in their direction. Her heart started to speed up and when he looked up from his phone, he smiled in their direction. It sent butterflies through her stomach and she smiled back.

"Daddy!" Haley shrieked and rushed towards her dad. He stuffed his phone in his pocket and then quickly opened his arms. It was perfect timing too because Haley launched herself into them quickly. Riley smiled softly because she could watch those two together forever. They were absolutely adorable.

"Hey you," Lucas smiled and then kissed her cheek. "How was your day?"

"Good," Haley nodded. "We started learning about animals today."

"That's exciting," Lucas said.

"Can we get a dog?" Haley asked. Riley and Lucas both laughed because she asked so innocently and nonchalantly.

"Not right now," Lucas shook his head.

"Aw man," Haley pouted out her lip and then Lucas put her down before ruffling her hair.

"Why don't you go on the swings for a minute while I talk to Miss Matthews?" Lucas suggested.

"Okay," Haley nodded and then rushed off in the direction of the swings.

"Hey," Riley smiled when he took a step closer to her.

"Hi," Lucas greeted. "I would kiss you but," he shrugged and gestured around the parking lot.

"Rain check," Riley nodded. It sucked he couldn't kiss her but they had to remain professional.

"How was your day?" Lucas asked. He look over at Haley and saw her swinging happily and he was content with her well-being for the moment.

"Good," Riley said and then scrunched her eyebrows together as she remembered the woman from earlier.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, noticing the look on her face.

"It's just something weird happened at dismissal," Riley said.

"What happened?" Lucas asked.

"This woman showed up. She was like looking around the parking lot and seemed to be looking for someone. It seemed like she was a family member but didn't take a kid with her," Riley explained. Lucas's stomach filled with dread and he shifted uncomfortably.

"What did she look like?" Lucas instantly asked.

"What?" Riley raised an eyebrow at him. He looked angry and completely lost in thought at the moment.

"Just humor me," Lucas said. "What did she look like?"

"Let's see," Riley scratched the side of her head as she tried to remember the woman's description. "She had like dark brown hair. It was shorter, resting around her shoulders. She was shorter than I am. She was kind of pale and really thin."

"Did she have blue eyes?" Lucas asked. Riley's face turned into a look of complete confusion.

"Yeah she did," Riley nodded. "How did you know that?"

"Because I know her," Lucas said and then quickly called Haley over. She looked up at her dad and jumped off the swing.

"Lucas, what's going on? How do you know this woman?" Riley asked. She was starting to feel anxious and was incredibly concerned.

"Because she's Haley's mother," Lucas said. Riley's face quickly dropped and they both looked over at Haley, who was skipping over in their direction. Riley's stomach dropped because she knew this changed everything.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 8**

"I thought you said she was out of the picture?" Riley asked after a few moments of silence. She shifted uncomfortably on her feet and saw that he was unsettled by all of this.

"She was," Lucas nodded. "She is."

"Clearly she isn't," Riley disagreed. "Does she want you back?"

"Riley-," Lucas started to say but quickly stopped when Haley reached his side.

"I'm ready," Haley said as she smiled up at her dad. Lucas rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled back at her before looking back at Riley.

"Can we talk about this later?" Lucas asked, the desperation clear in his voice.

"I guess," Riley nodded.

"Can we get dinner on the way home daddy?" Haley asked, tugging on Lucas's hand.

"Sure," Lucas nodded.

"Bye Miss Matthews!" Haley looked up and waved at her teacher, smiling wide at her.

"Bye Haley," Riley shot her a sweet smile. She looked back up at Lucas and could see the tense look on her boyfriend's face.

"I promise we will talk later," Lucas lowered his voice and looked deeply into Riley's eyes.

"Okay," Riley nodded. He said goodbye to his girlfriend and then guided his daughter out of the parking lot.

Riley watched the two of them go and crossed her arms over her stomach. Haley's mother was back in town. Megan was back and Riley had a horrible feeling in her stomach. She knew that she was back to win back her family. She was here to make sure that she got a second chance with them. Riley saw the look in the woman's eyes earlier. They looked determined and ready for a fight. She brushed her fingers through her hair and looked around the parking lot. She had a bad feeling about all of this. She had a feeling that she was not going to like the way it all played out.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"The evil baby momma is back?" Maya widened her eyes and then narrowed them. "What does she want?"

"What do you think she wants?" Smackle asked. "She probably wants to be reunited with her daughter and ex-boyfriend."

"Smackle!" Farkle exclaimed. "Inside voice."

"Sorry," Smackle winced and then shot an apologetic look at Riley. "But it's true, right?"

"I don't know," Riley shrugged and then looked down at her goddaughter in her arms. Sophia was so pure and so innocent as she slept comfortably in her aunt's arms. She didn't know about evil or horrible exes.

"Have you and Lucas gotten the chance to talk yet?" Josh asked.

"He said we would talk later," Riley said. "He needed to get Haley home and take care of her first."

"How did he look when you told him about the baby momma being back?" Farkle asked.

"He already knew that she was back in town," Riley sighed as she leaned back in the chair.

"He what?" Maya exclaimed, her voice raising in irritation. Sophia stirred slightly in Riley's arms and everyone held their breath as they waited to see if she woke up or not. Maya winced slightly because the last thing she wanted to do was wake-up her daughter.

"I'm going to go put her in the bassinet," Josh said. He walked over to where his niece was sitting with his daughter and gently took Sophia into his arms before walking out of the room with her.

"I'm sorry, but what? Lucas knew she was back in town and didn't tell you?" Maya asked.

"I'm not sure when he found out," Riley said. "We didn't really get the chance to talk about it because of Haley."

"What are you going to do?" Smackle asked as Josh walked back into the living room and took a seat next to his blonde wife.

"I guess I'm going to give him the chance to explain himself," Riley shrugged. "I don't really have any other options, do I?"

"You'll be open-minded, right?" Farkle asked.

"What?" Riley scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Well we all know how guarded you are when it comes to relationships but don't do that this time," Josh said. Everyone knew about what happened to her in college and how she had gotten her heart terribly broken. They didn't want to see her go through that again. They didn't want to see her give up on something good because of past experience.

"I'll give him the chance," Riley promised.

"And remember you always have us, Riles. We will always have your back," Maya insisted.

"I know," Riley nodded and smiled at her best friends in the living room. She knew that no matter what happened, she would always have the best support system in the world.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Time for bed," Lucas clapped his hands together as he walked into Haley's bedroom.

"Aw man," Haley pouted out her lower lip. "Can't I have five more minutes of coloring time?"

"No ma'am," Lucas shook his head. "It's time to go to sleep. I already gave you an extra five minutes."

"Okay," Haley sighed and then closed her coloring book. She placed it on her little desk and skipped off in the direction of her bed. She jumped onto it as her dad finished picking up all the crayons from the ground. "Hey daddy?"

"Yeah?" Lucas asked, putting the box of crayons with the coloring book and then walking over to kneel next to her bed.

"Is Miss Matthews still your girlfriend?" Haley asked. Lucas pulled the covers up and covered his daughter's body with them.

"She is," Lucas nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"How come she hasn't come over to have dinner with us then?" Haley asked.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Well Aunt Vanessa and Uncle Zay have dinner together all the time," Haley said. "Doesn't Miss Matthews want to have dinner with us?"

"Do you want her to come over and have dinner with us?" Lucas asked.

"I do," Haley nodded. "I can show her all of my toys and we can color a picture together."

"I'm sure she would love that," Lucas said.

"Will you ask her then?" Haley asked.

"I sure will," Lucas nodded.

"Yay!" Haley exclaimed and then rested her head on her pillow. "You're the best daddy in the whole world."

"You're the best daughter in the whole world," Lucas smiled at his little girl.

"I love you daddy," Haley let out a yawn as her eyes started to get heavy.

"I love you more princess," Lucas said.

"Not possible," Haley shook her head as her eyes started to flutter closed.

"It's very possible," Lucas said as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams princess."

"Hey," Zay nodded at his best friend after he walked out of Haley's bedroom a few minutes later.

"Hey," Lucas nodded in return. "Thanks for coming over for me."

"No worries," Zay insisted. "What are you going to say to Riley?"

"I guess I'm just going to explain everything to her," Lucas sighed.

"I can't believe Megan just showed up at the school like that," Zay rolled his eyes. "That's so incredibly creepy."

"Yeah it is," Lucas nodded.

"Is Riley going to report her?" Zay asked.

"Report her?" Lucas repeated, raising an eyebrow at his best friend.

"Dude!" Zay exclaimed. "She showed up at a kindergarten and just lurked around. That's very unsettling and how children get kidnapped. I would be shocked if Riley didn't report it to the school."

"Do you think she would?" Lucas asked.

"If I were her, I would. It's her job and responsibility as a teacher to do it," Zay explained.

"I guess I'll find out when I go over there," Lucas said as he stuffed his wallet and phone into his pockets. "Call me if there are any problems with Haley."

"Do you really think there will be any problems?" Zay shot him a look.

"True," Lucas laughed. He knew that Haley would sleep the entire time and not even realize that he was gone. "I'll see you later, man."

"Good luck!" Zay waved to him and then dropped onto the couch before grabbing the remote and flipping on the television.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Hey," Riley smiled softly after opening the door to her apartment and seeing her boyfriend standing on the other side. She resisted the urge to chuckle because he looked just as nervous as she felt.

"Hey," Lucas smiled hesitantly.

"Hi," Riley bit her lip and the both of them let out a laugh. She opened the door further and gestured him inside. "Come in."

"Thanks," Lucas said. She closed the door behind him and then looked over at where he was standing.

"Do you want something to drink?" Riley asked.

"I'm god," Lucas shook his head.

"Well let's sit down then," Riley suggested and gestured towards the couch. The two took a seat and she watched as he leaned forward and rested his forearms against the tops of his legs.

"I'm sorry," Lucas sighed.

"For what?" Riley scrunched her eyebrows together.

"I should have told you she was back. I should have warned you in case she tried to pull some stunt like this," Lucas said.

"You couldn't have known," Riley shrugged.

"I should have though," Lucas insisted. "She pulls crap like this all the time. I should have assumed she would try to see Haley without me knowing about it."

"I have to tell you something," Riley said.

"You reported it to the school?" Lucas guessed.

"How did you know?" Riley widened her eyes in surprise.

"Because it's what you're supposed to do as a teacher," Lucas said. "You're supposed to protect the children first and anyone would have done that in your position."

"Are you mad?" Riley asked.

"Not at all," Lucas shook his head. "As a dad, I'm glad you did it. I feel much happier knowing that my daughter is safe and has a teacher looking out for her safety."

"Why is she back?" Riley asked. "What made her just reappear like this?"

"She said she wants to get to know Haley," Lucas said. "She wants to fix all of her mistakes and to be a family."

"She wants to be a family?" Riley repeated, her heart dropping.

"Riley," Lucas turned on the couch and faced her. He grabbed her hands in his own and looked deep into her eyes. "It's never going to happen. There is no chance that she will ever come in and ruin us. She isn't going to get to know Haley."

"She's her mother though," Riley said.

"She lost that title the moment she walked out the door and ran off with another man," Lucas said.

"She ran off with another man?" Riley widened her eyes. "I thought she just left because she wasn't ready to be a mom?"

"That's what I thought at the time too," Lucas rolled his eyes. He turned his body back around to face the wall in front of them and Riley could see that he was reliving everything. "I found out a few years after that she had gotten married. It was to a guy she convinced me our entire relationship was not a threat."

"I'm so sorry," Riley whispered.

"They're divorced now," Lucas said. "When I saw her the other night she told me that they separated. He cheated on her. Karma is a funny thing, isn't it?"

"I got cheated on too," Riley said and then bit her lip. She saw Lucas turn around to face her and she knew she had to explain everything that happened to her in college.

"You did?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Riley nodded and then swallowed hard.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Lucas insisted.

"I want to," Riley said. "I want you to understand why sometimes I am so closed off and guarded with me heart."

"Then I'm all ears," Lucas nodded. He shifted on the couch so that he was fully facing her and gave her his full attention.

"I was dating this guy. We met my sophomore year of college and it felt like a fairytale. He was so sweet and so kind. He treated me like I was a princess," Riley started and then looked down at her joined hands. Lucas saw the look on her face and reached out to rest a hand on top of hers.

"I'm right here," Lucas whispered.

"He ended up being so cruel," Riley mumbled. "He was dating three other girls at the exact same time. I only found out because he sent me a text message that was for one of them. When I confronted him, he had zero remorse. He said I was so naïve and childish and that's why it would never work out. He said it was all my fault."

"Riley,-" Lucas shook his head and widened his eyes in surprise.

"Maybe it was my fault," Riley shrugged. "Maybe I should have been a better girlfriend. Maybe if I was pretty enough. Maybe if I wasn't,"

"Stop right there," Lucas cut her off. "What he did to you was in no way your fault. It was all his fault. He was pathetic and a coward who did not see what he had right in front of him. He let the best, most beautiful person in the world get away from him and he's going to have to live with that for the rest of his life."

"Lucas," Riley whispered.

"His loss was my gain," Lucas said. "I'm never going to hurt you that way."

"You don't know that," Riley shook her head. "You can't know that."

"I do know that," Lucas nodded. He scooted closer and reached out to cup one of her cheeks in his hand. "I am going to protect you and cherish you. Nothing will come between us. I swear."

"I want to believe you," Riley whispered as a tear slipped down her face. His brushed the tear off her face with his thumb.

"Then let me prove it to you," Lucas said.

"Okay," Riley agreed. Lucas leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, both of them closing their eyes.

"We'll get through all this drama with Haley's mom too," Lucas promised. "As long as we are together, we can get through it."

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"What's she doing here?" Riley whispered when she saw Megan sitting by herself in a booth at Topanga's.

"She looks like she's waiting for someone," Lucas said. The two took a seat at a table on the other side of the café and were lucky when they realized she hadn't seen them.

"I hate that she's around all the time," Riley sighed.

"Hey," Lucas reached out and grabbed onto her hand. She looked over and locked eyes with her boyfriend. "It's not going to change anything."

"So you keep saying," Riley said.

"Riley-," Lucas started to say but was cut off when he saw Riley staring at Megan. "Stop looking at her. Don't overthink it."

"She's with someone," Riley said. Lucas looked over and saw the man sit down with Megan.

"That's her husband," Lucas said as he recognized the man from pictures. "Well ex-husband I guess. He's the one she left me for."

"I know him," Riley mumbled. He quickly looked over at her and raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend.

"You what? How do you know him?" Lucas asked. He saw the look on her face and knew that it was not good. He knew the reason for knowing this guy was a bad reason.

"Her ex-husband is uh," Riley stuttered.

"Who is he?" Lucas asked. He squeezed her hand in encouragement and she looked over at him.

"That's my ex-boyfriend from college. She's one of the girls he cheated on me with," Riley said. Lucas widened his eyes and then looked over at his ex-girlfriend. This situation just got a whole lot worse.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 9**

"Wait, what?" Lucas scrunched his eyebrows together and looked at his girlfriend. "That's your ex-boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Riley nodded and then quickly looked away from where her ex-boyfriend was sitting. She felt that familiar pinch in her chest that she had so many times after their break-up. She looked over at Lucas and could see the look of pure confusion on his face.

"When did you two date in college?" Lucas asked. He couldn't believe that the man his ex-girlfriend left him for was the man who broke Riley's heart. He wanted to go over and punch the guy in the face for what he did to Riley.

"The end of my sophomore year to the beginning of my senior year," Riley said.

"So you were about twenty-one one when you two broke up?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow in question. He remembered Riley telling him that she was twenty-seven now and he was a year older than her.

"Yeah," Riley nodded and then looked at him curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Because Megan was twenty-one when we started dating," Lucas said. Riley saw his jaw tighten and his eyes darted over to where their exes were sitting. "I was twenty-two."

"That means-?" Riley widened her eyes and followed his eyesight.

"She lied to me," Lucas mumbled and then the two of them locked eyes. "She said that when we started dating I was the only person she was seeing. The entire time we were together, she was seeing him."

"I'm so sorry Lucas," Riley reached out and grabbed his hand. He tightened his grip on her and she ran circles over the back of his hand.

"It's in the past now," Lucas shrugged. She could see he was trying to let it go but the anger and betrayal was evident in his eyes.

"Riley?" A deep voice interrupted the two and they both looked over. Lucas felt Riley tighten her grip on his hand, so he squeezed her hand back in comfort.

"Lucas?" Megan walked over and widened her eyes when she saw their joined hands. "Miss Matthews?"

"You know Riley?" Riley's ex-boyfriend turned to face his ex-wife and widened his eyes.

"She's my daughter's teacher," Megan said and then turned to raise an eyebrow at her ex-husband. "How do you know Riley?"

"What are you doing here, Thomas?" Riley asked.

"I was visiting my wife," Thomas said.

"Ex-wife," Megan corrected him.

"So you keep saying," Thomas rolled his eyes.

"The divorce papers indicate that we are divorced!" Megan snapped.

"Is there something that you two wanted?" Lucas interrupted their argument. He and Riley shared a look, one of pure annoyance.

"I was hoping to talk to you Riley," Thomas said.

"About what?" Riley raised an eyebrow at him.

"I was thinking that we could catch up," Thomas said. She noticed that Megan huffed in annoyance and shot her a nasty look.

"I don't think so," Riley shook her head. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Riley-," Thomas started to say but she stood up from the table.

"You lost any chance of catching up with me when you cheated on me," Riley said and then shot Megan a look. She winced slightly and took a step closer to where Lucas was sitting. He scooted his chair away from her and kept his eyes trained on Riley.

"I-," Thomas tried to say again but she shook her head.

"We have to go," Riley said. Lucas stood up from his chair and reached out to grab her hand, lacing their fingers together. She looked back at her ex-boyfriend once more and saw him staring at her intently. Megan looked heartbroken and kept her eyes trained on Lucas as the two exited Topanga's.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked once the two were alone and outside. Riley stopped in her tracks and rested her back against one of the walls. He took a step closer to her and reached out to brush a piece of hair off her face.

"I never actually thought I was going to see him again," Riley admitted. She looked up at him through her lashes and could see the concerned look on his face.

"I could go in there and punch him in the face for you," Lucas suggested. She saw the teasing smirk on his face but a hint of seriousness.

"As much as I appreciate the offer I think I am going to have to decline," Riley chuckled softly. She reached out and rested a hand on his chest. "How about we just walk around and forget them?"

"I like that idea better," Lucas nodded. He took a step closer and rested his forehead against hers.

"Thank you," Riley whispered.

"For what?" Lucas asked, opening his eyes to look into hers.

"For being one of the good ones," Riley said.

"I just want to see you happy," Lucas said.

"As long as I'm with you then I'm happy," Riley promised. Lucas couldn't take it any longer, he closed the gap between them and crashed his lips against hers. He pulled her closer by the waist and she responded by wrapping her arms around his shoulders, relishing the feel of his lips against hers.

"Should we get out of here?" Lucas suggested after pulling back and looking into her brown eyes.

"I like the sound of that," Riley nodded. He kissed her once more and then wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She wrapped an arm around his waist and snuggled close to his side. Together, they would be okay. Together, they could get through this.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"He what?" Maya shouted and then winced when her husband shushed her.

"Sophia is sleeping," Josh reminded her. He knew that his wife was upset, with good reason, but he always knew this conversation would be impossible if Sophia was awake. Everyone held their breath as they waited to see if the baby woke up.

"Sorry," Maya bit her lip and was grateful when she didn't hear her daughter crying out for them. She knew how bad that could be for a conversation like this.

"How could he just show up like that?" Farkle asked. "What made him just reappear?"

"He's married to Lucas's ex-girlfriend," Riley said and then rolled her eyes. "Or was married to her. They are divorced. I think he cheated on her or something."

"Wait, what?" Josh widened his eyes.

"Lucas's daughter's mother is married to your ex-boyfriend?" Smackle elaborated.

"Yes," Riley nodded.

"That is the weirdest web I've ever seen," Maya said. Josh nudged her side but she only shrugged in response.

"It gets worse," Riley sighed.

"How could it possibly get worse?" Farkle asked.

"She is one of the women he cheated on me with," Riley said. The room fell completely silent as her friends took in her confession. She tried to gauge their faces but they all were just staring back at her. Maya looked the most pissed off and was clenching her hands into fists. "Someone say something."

"I'm gonna kill the both of them," Maya gritted her teeth.

"Peaches," Riley shook her head.

"This just got really complicated, didn't it?" Farkle asked.

"I think so," Riley nodded.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

Lucas was sitting at his desk, desperately trying to complete the file in front of him but his mind was a million miles away. It had been a little over three weeks since Megan reappeared in their lives. She had kept her distance but he was waiting. He knew his ex-girlfriend and knew that it was only a matter of time. He knew that she was eventually going to make her move and try to shake everything up in his and Haley's lives.

His mind drifted off to Riley and it caused a small smile to form on his face. He knew that she had been worried at first. She was worried that Megan was going to cause problems and ruin their relationship. So far, the two of them had been able to work through it. They had been growing closer and closer as the weeks went on. They had been together for a little over two months now and he knew they had something special. He knew that what they had was real. His feelings were real. He knew for certain that Riley Matthews was somebody that he wanted to have in his life for a long time.

"Doctor Friar?" Melissa asked, interrupting him from his thoughts. He looked up at his assistant and raised an eyebrow. She had been his assistant since he first started working at the clinic as a veterinarian.

"Yes?" Lucas asked.

"There is someone here to see you," Melissa said.

"A patient?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"No," Melissa shook her head. Lucas saw her look down and could see the look of hesitancy in her eyes. He knew exactly who was waiting for him in the front office and it immediately caused him to grow irritated.

"Is her name Megan?" Lucas asked. He saw the surprise in his assistant's face that he knew who it was. He had no doubt that Megan had told Melissa who she was and that she was Haley's mother.

"Yes," Melissa nodded.

"Send her in," Lucas sighed. He saw Melissa scurry out of the room and he ran a hand over his tired face. The last thing he wanted to do right now was have a conversation with Haley's mom. He saw the door swing up, Megan rushed into his office and then she closed it quickly behind her.

"Hey," Megan greeted. She rested her back against the door and bit her lip nervously.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked. "You're showing up at my work now?"

"It's the only way I can get you to talk to me," Megan insisted. She walked over and took a seat in the chair across from his desk.

"Maybe you should take the hint then," Lucas said. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Can't we just start over?" Megan asked.

"Start over?" Lucas repeated. "You're kidding me, right?"

"I-," Megan started to say but then trailed off when her eyes landed on a picture. He followed her eye sight and saw what she was looking at. It was a picture of Haley from over the summer. She was smiling wide at the camera and looked incredibly adorable. "She's beautiful."

"Yeah she is," Lucas agreed as he smiled at the picture of his daughter. He looked over at his ex-girlfriend and saw the tears welling in her eyes. She had a hand resting on her chest and her eyes were glued to the picture. For a second, he felt bad but then he reminded himself that this was her choice. She did this.

"I want to meet her," Megan finally said. Her voice was shaky yet incredibly determined. He knew this was something she had been thinking about for a while now.

"Excuse me?" Lucas widened his eyes and saw her eyes drift over to him.

"I was going to talk to you and convince you but I just needed to say it," Megan said as she ran her fingers through her brown locks.

"It's never going to happen," Lucas shook his head.

"Lucas-," Megan started to say but he cut her off.

"You left us. You left her. I don't know why you thought you could just walk back in here and get what you wanted. I am going to do whatever it takes to protect Haley," Lucas said. "You clearly didn't love her enough to want to stay."

"I loved her too much," Megan disagreed. "I was so afraid of failing her. I wanted to be the perfect mother for her but I knew I was not in the position to do so. I knew you could give her a better life than I ever could."

"Don't do this," Lucas shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was sit here and argue with Megan. He knew they would end up talking in circles and nothing would get accomplished. They were both set on their ways and it would be hard to convince the other person otherwise.

"There hasn't been a day that passed where I haven't thought of her. She is always on my mind. I love her with my entire heart," Megan said and then took a deep breath. "And you."

"What?" Lucas widened his eyes.

"There hasn't been a day that passed where you haven't been on my mind either. Even when I was married to Thomas, I always thought of you. I always loved you," Megan said.

"Don't," Lucas shook his head again.

"I'm still in love with you," Megan said. She leaned forward slightly in her chair and looked into his eyes, trying to convince him that it was true.

"It's never going to happen," Lucas said.

"Why?" Megan asked and then rolled her eyes. "Because of Haley's teacher? She's just a girl. She isn't anything special. You and she don't have the bond that we have."

"That's where you're wrong," Lucas disagreed. "She and I have more of a bond and connection then you and I will ever have. All you and I have in common is Haley. She and I have so much more in common, we have something real."

"What, are you in love with her or something?" Megan snapped. Lucas sat back in his chair and let his mind ponder her question. Did he love Riley? Where they at that point in their relationship yet? Was it that serious? Then it dawned on him. He knew exactly how he felt.

"Yeah," Lucas nodded and smiled as he thought of his girlfriend. "I am in love with her."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 10**

Lucas sat in his bed that night and smiled to himself. He was in love with Riley Matthews. There wasn't a certain reason for it, there were a bunch of different reasons. She made him want to be a better person. She made him believe in love and trust again. She gave him the courage to open up his heart again after it had been torn into pieces. He knew from the moment he met her that she was someone special and every single day together reminded him that he was right. Riley Matthews was the person he was in love with and there was no sign of that changing any time soon.

"Daddy?" Haley's voice interrupted him from his thoughts. He looked over at the doorway and saw his little girl clutching onto her teddy bear. Her hair was a ruffled mess and one of her hands was clutching her stomach. Her eyes looked teary and her bottom lip was pouting out.

"Hales," Lucas's eyes softened and he gestured her closer to the bed. He hated seeing her in distress. "What's the matter?"

"Can I sleep in here tonight?" Haley quietly asked.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked. She slowly got onto the bed and rested her head against his arm, immediately feeling the comfort only her dad could give her.

"My tummy hurts," Haley whispered.

"Too much sugar with Uncle Zay tonight?" Lucas asked. He softly ran a hand over the top of her head and smoothed out her hair. He knew she had consumed one too many cookies after dinner and this stomach ache was inevitable.

"Yeah," Haley nodded against his shoulder.

"Well lay down here and I bet you'll feel better in the morning," Lucas said. She scooted under the covers and he pulled them up to cover her petite body. She snuggled into his pillow and let out a long yawn. He gave her less than five minutes before she was fully asleep.

"Did you ask Miss Matthews?" Haley asked. "Is she going to come to dinner?"

"She is," Lucas nodded with a soft smile.

"When?" Haley asked, her eyes opening softly.

"Soon," Lucas promised. "Now go to sleep princess."

"I love you daddy," Haley yawned and held her teddy bear close to her chest.

"I love you too," Lucas leaned down and kissed the top of her head. She smiled at him and then almost instantly closed her eyes. He watched as her chest started to rise and fall, an indication that she had fallen asleep. He would do whatever he needed to do to protect her. He wouldn't let Megan come into her life and hurt her.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"She wants to meet Haley?" Riley asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. Lucas sat down on the couch in Riley's living room and let out a tired sigh. Her eyes softened and her chest tightened at the sight. He looked so tired and frustrated. She could only imagine what he was going through and feeling at this moment in his life.

"She said she loved her so much and that's why she did it. She wanted Haley to have the best life and she wasn't in the position to do that," Lucas explained.

"But you weren't in the position either," Riley pointed out. "You learned every day how to be a great father and that's why you're the best father."

"I wouldn't say the best," Lucas disagreed.

"I would," Riley insisted and rested a hand on his arm. "Haley is so lucky to have you as her dad. She knows that whatever decision you make for her is for the best."

"Is it wrong to keep Haley away from her mother? Am I being selfish?" Lucas asked.

"Well, why are you doing it?" Riley asked. "Why are you so adamant on keeping Megan away from Haley?"

"Because I can't trust that she won't do it again. She left us once, what's to say she won't do it again? She has never been the stable kind of person and I can't put Haley through that. I can't get her hopes up with her mother and then have Megan walk right out the door and hurt her again," Lucas explained.

"And you," Riley said.

"What?" Lucas scrunched his eyebrows together and turned to fully face her.

"You can't have her walk out the door and hurt you again too," Riley said.

"Riley," Lucas shook his head.

"I know you're not in love with her anymore, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just afraid she's going to open up all those old wounds again and hurt you," Riley explained. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"I won't be," Lucas promised. "I'm not going to let her back into our lives. We are much better off without her."

"I'm here, Lucas. No matter what happens," Riley promised. She rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled at him. He leaned forward and kissed her nose, causing her to giggle slightly.

"Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow?" Lucas asked.

"Sure," Riley nodded. "Is that going to be okay with Haley being there too?"

"She's the one who invited you," Lucas said and she smiled wide.

"Really?" Riley asked.

"Something about pizza was mentioned," Lucas smirked.

"I do love pizza," Riley chuckled.

"Seven o'clock?" Lucas asked.

"Sounds perfect," Riley agreed. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and smiled wide at him.

"Hi," Lucas smiled as he scooted closer to her on the couch.

"Hi," Riley smiled.

"Hey," Lucas said and the two let out a chuckle. "I think this is the part where I'm supposed to kiss you."

"I won't complain about that," Riley said as she pulled him closer. His lips connected with her lips and she smiled wide into the kiss. She loved the feel of his lips against hers.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"When is she going to be here?" Haley asked, bouncing excitedly on the couch. For the last ten minutes she kept looking at the front door and then over at her dad, asking when Riley was going to show. He loved how excited she was and knew tonight was going to be a good night.

"Any minute now," Lucas promised. Just as he finished saying that, there was a knock on the front door. Haley's eyes widened in excitement and she jumped up from the couch. "Wait right there. Do not open the door."

"Fine," Haley pouted. Lucas ruffled her hair as he passed by and then opened the front door. He felt like his breath was taken away when he saw her on the other side. She was dressed in a simple sundress and cardigan but she was the most beautiful girl in the entire world.

"Hey," Riley greeted with a kind smile. "I'm not late, am I?"

"Right on time," Lucas said. He turned back slightly and noticed Haley was distracted with her coloring so he leaned forward and kissed Riley quickly. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Riley said. She followed him through the door and smiled when Haley looked up at her. The little girl's face lit up when she saw Riley walking in her direction.

"Hi Miss Matthews!" Haley waved and rushed over to hug her teacher. The two adults smiled and Riley hugged her before the small girl pulled back. "I'm so happy you came over."

"Me too," Riley smiled.

"Come inside," Haley tugged on her arm and pulled her into the living room. "Do you want to see what I was drawing?"

"Absolutely," Riley nodded. Lucas watched as the two looked over the coloring and talked about it. He sat and watched them talk quietly before opening the door for the pizza man.

"Pizza," Lucas announced.

"Pizza!" Haley exclaimed, her eyes widening with excitement.

"Go wash your hands missy," Lucas shot her a playfully stern look and she sighed before rushing out of the room.

"She's so sweet," Riley said as she followed him into the kitchen. "How am I doing by the way?"

"What do you mean?" Lucas laughed.

"Am I passing the test?" Riley raised an eyebrow.

"With flying colors," Lucas smirked.

"Well I was an A student," Riley teased and then Haley rushed back into the kitchen.

"Am I going to be an A student?" Haley asked.

"You sure are," Lucas ruffled her hair. The three of them all sat around the kitchen table and served out the pizza.

"What's your favorite color?" Riley asked Haley.

"Purple!" Haley exclaimed.

"Me too," Riley said.

"Really?" Haley widened her eyes in excitement.

"Yup," Riley nodded. "When I was in middle school I used to love to draw purple cats all the time."

"Purple cats?" Haley asked, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Why purple cats?"

"I'm not really sure," Riley shook her head. "My best friend is an artist and it used to drive her crazy."

"You have a best friend too?" Haley asked.

"I do," Riley nodded. "Her name is Maya. She just had a baby."

"A baby?" Haley widened her eyes.

"A little girl named Sophia," Riley said.

"That's so cool!" Haley exclaimed. "My Uncle Zay is my daddy's best friend. He is the funniest person ever."

"Hey!" Lucas protested, shooting a look at her daughter. "I thought I was the funniest person in the world?"

"No way," Haley shook her head and stuck her tongue out at him. "Uncle Zay is."

"Thanks a lot Hales," Lucas laughed. Riley chuckled and felt her heart warm because she could see the bond between the two of them. They truly loved each other. She could get used to being around the two of them for a very long time.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"My mom always taught me that extra marshmallows were the perfect topping to hot chocolate," Riley said as she tossed another one into Haley's cup.

"Like that?" Haley asked, examining her mug. There was a bunch of little marshmallows around the top of her mug and her mouth was watering in excitement.

"Perfect," Riley nodded. "Not too many because you don't want all the sugar but enough for it to taste delicious."

"Is hot chocolate your favorite drink?" Haley asked.

"It's one of them," Riley nodded. "It's my favorite thing to drink around Christmas time."

"Me too!" Haley exclaimed. "My daddy and I always drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies together at Christmas time."

"That sounds like a perfect tradition," Riley smiled at her. Lucas smiled at the two girls and felt his heart warm. The two of them were perfect together and he knew Haley adored Riley, almost as much as he did.

"With our pajamas on," Lucas added.

"Sometimes we even eat cookies because we always make too many and Santa doesn't need that many cookies," Haley said.

"I'm sure he gets tons of cookies from all the houses he has to go to," Riley said.

"Maybe this Christmas you can watch movies with us!" Haley suggested and then turned to face her dad with an excited look on her face. "Can she daddy?"

"I think that's up to her," Lucas said. He and Riley shared a look because they knew that would be a big step in their relationship. It was about a month and a half away and neither saw their relationship slowing down by then.

"I would love to," Riley agreed.

"Yay!" Haley clapped her hands together in excitement. Lucas and Riley shared a smile because they both knew what this meant. This meant they were in it for the long haul.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"See you tomorrow," Riley waved to one of her coworkers and then turned to walk down the street. She let the air fill her lungs and she took a deep breath. She was ready to go home after a long day and take a bath with a cup of hot tea. She might even call Lucas just to hear his voice.

"Hey! Miss Matthews!" A voice shouted from behind Riley. She slowed in her steps and turned around, feeling her stomach drop slightly.

"Megan," Riley said.

"Hello Miss Matthews," Megan shot her a nasty look.

"What can I do for you?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

"I think it's time we had a talk," Megan said. "Girl to girl."


	11. Chapter 11

**I know, I know! I am the absolute worst for leaving you all hanging for so long. I have been dealing with a lot of personal struggles that have just made writing hard for me. I am better and finding my inspiration again. I am looking to start updating regularly and not leaving you hanging like I did. I can't apologize enough and I am so sorry! Thank you for being patient and sticking with me!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 11**

"You want to talk to me?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow and adjusting her purse on her shoulder. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" Megan asked. "You don't think we need to talk?"

"I don't think so," Riley shook her head.

"You are dating my ex-boyfriend," Megan said.

"And you married mine," Riley retorted.

"My ex-boyfriend comes with my daughter though," Megan pointed out. "You are playing mommy to my daughter."

"I'm not playing anything," Riley snapped. "I am there for a little girl who was abandoned by her own mother at such a young age. A little girl whose mother wanted nothing to do with her."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Megan glared at her.

"I know you left her because you were afraid to be her mother. You left her because you're selfish," Riley said.

"I left her because I love her," Megan said.

Riley noticed her voice softened slightly and some of the anger seemed to be leaving her body. She wanted to feel remorse for the woman standing in front of her but she couldn't find it in her. She left her daughter. A little girl who was new to this world and needed her mom. She left her so that she could run off with another man. She didn't look back for a second. She left the two people that she was supposed to love the most in this world. There was no forgiving that.

"Keep telling yourself that," Riley said. She shifted on her feet and shrugged her shoulders. "You can't change what you did. You can't go back in time and undo all the pain you caused."

"I can fix it though," Megan desperately insisted.

"I don't think the scars you left are going to go away that easily," Riley shook her head. "You said what you needed to say and now it's up to Lucas. It's his decision what he wants to do now."

"Maybe you could talk to him for me," Megan suggested. "He seems to really value what you have to say. Tell him I've changed."

"How am I supposed to know that you've changed?" Riley asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow at the girl in front of her. She could see the desperation written all over her face.

"Because I'm telling you!" Megan exclaimed, causing Riley to widen her eyes in surprise. Lucas's ex-girlfriend took a deep breath and then ran her fingers through her hair. "Look, I just want to meet Haley."

"I can't help you," Riley shook her head. "If I were you, I would stop pushing. I would stay away because you are only going to make things worse."

With that, Riley turned and walked away. She knew the other girl was standing there stunned but it didn't matter to her. She said what she needed to say and she felt comfortable about it. Riley knew Lucas, she knew him pretty well. She knew that he wanted nothing to do with his ex-girlfriend and that Haley was better off without her. Things were better the way they were now and nothing was going to change that. Not even Megan.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Are you going to tell her?" Zay asked, sitting down at his best friend's kitchen table and watching as he made a pot of coffee for the two of them.

"Isn't it too soon?" Lucas asked, scooping some of the coffee out of the container and into the coffee pot.

"Do you love her?" Zay asked.

"I already told you I did," Lucas shot his best friend a look.

"Then why does it matter how long you've been together?" Zay raised his eyebrow. "If you're in love with her, time means nothing."

"I don't want to scare her away though," Lucas said as he turned on the coffee pot and then walked over to take a seat at the table with his best friend.

"If Megan hasn't scared her away yet, I doubt you telling her you love her will," Zay said.

"Megan texted me this morning," Lucas sighed.

"Let me guess," Zay rolled his eyes. "She wants to meet Haley and she insists that she has changed."

"Pretty much," Lucas nodded.

"You need to block her," Zay said. "She's creepy and not getting anywhere near that little girl. She will not cause either of you pain again."

"Dude," Lucas looked at his best friend in surprise.

"I can still remember that phone call I got when you found out she was gone. I still remember the look on your face when you realized she ran away with another guy," Zay said and then shook his head. Lucas could tell his best friend was reliving the memory. "You're a different person now. You have come a long way and raised that little girl to be an amazing person. She would just ruin it."

"Thanks man," Lucas nodded at his best friend.

"Enough mushy stuff," Zay said and then smirked. "How about you make me pancakes?"

"You wish," Lucas smirked and rolled his eyes before tossing a bagel at him.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

 _"_ _She just showed up at your school and demanded a conversation?" Lucas widened his eyes as he listened to his girlfriend talk to him through the phone._

"Yup," Riley said as she dropped onto her bed. "She wanted me to convince you that she should have a chance to meet Haley."

 _"_ _She just won't stop," Lucas groaned._

"I think she just really wants to meet Haley," Riley said.

 _"_ _What do you think?" Lucas asked._

"What?" Riley asked, confusion filling her voice.

 _"_ _Do you think I should let her meet Haley?" Lucas asked._

"Oh Lucas," Riley said. "I'm not sure my opinion matters."

 _"_ _It does to me," Lucas insisted. "I want to know what you think."_

"I think it took you a long time to get over what she did to you," Riley said. "I think she put you through a lot of pain and heartbreak. I think she made you second guess yourself and if you could trust someone else again."

 _"_ _She did," Lucas agreed._

"I also think she was incredibly selfish and is only back because her marriage fell apart," Riley admitted. "I mean, you have to ask yourself. Would she have still come back if she was happily married?"

 _"_ _You're right," Lucas said._

"I'm sorry," Riley sighed.

 _"_ _Don't be sorry," Lucas insisted. "I have long come to terms with the fact that Haley would never know her biological mother unless she wanted to when she was older."_

"You'll give her that choice?" Riley asked.

 _"_ _Absolutely," Lucas said. "I'll tell her what happened and if she is still curious, then I'm not going to stop her. She should learn who she is if that's what she really wants. I would be a terrible father to keep her from that."_

"You're a good guy Lucas Friar," Riley softly said. She felt her heart fill with love because he was truly a great person and she was so lucky that he was hers.

 _"_ _Have dinner with me tomorrow," Lucas suddenly said._

"Okay," Riley agreed. "I would love to."

 _"_ _Awesome," Lucas said. "I can't wait."_

"Me neither," Riley smiled to herself.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"You look beautiful Riles," Maya smiled at her best friend. She cradled the now awake baby in her arms to her chest and smiled at her daughter. "What do you think, Sophia? Doesn't Aunt Riley look beautiful?" The little girl gurgled in response and the two best friends laughed.

"I will take that as a yes," Riley smiled and then ran a soft hand over the top of her goddaughter's head.

"Are we all still having dinner at your place this weekend?" Maya asked. Lucas had finally met all of Riley's friends and it went incredibly well. They all clicked almost instantly and it was like he had been friends with them their entire lives.

"We are," Riley nodded with a smile. "He is going to bring his best friend and his best friend's fiancée."

"Zay right?" Maya asked.

"Yeah," Riley nodded. "Zay and Vanessa."

"Well I am looking forward to it," Maya smiled and then noticed the time. "You better get going. Why are you meeting him again?"

"He had to drop Haley off at Zay and Vanessa's so I agreed to meet him," Riley explained. "They live closer to the restaurant and it was just easier this way."

"You are too kind Riley Matthews," Maya chuckled.

"See you later," Riley smiled at her best friend. She leaned down and kissed the top of Sophia's head. "Bye sweet girl. I love you."

"Have a good time!" Maya called after her best friend who just waved in response. The blonde mother watched as the front door closed and she chuckled. Rocking her daughter in her arms, she looked down at her mini-me. "Mark my words, Sophia Matthews. Lucas Friar is here to stay. Your godmother is desperately in love with him."

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"I'm so full," Riley groaned as she dropped onto Lucas's couch with him after dinner that night. "Why did you let me eat that ice-cream?"

"I learned from our second date that there is not getting in between you and your desserts," Lucas smirked as he dropped onto the couch with her.

"You know me too well," Riley laughed. He scooted closer to her on the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I'd like to think so," Lucas looked down at her and smiled. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked up to smile at him.

"Thank you for taking me out to dinner tonight," Riley said. "I had a really good time."

"So did I," Lucas said and then leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. She pulled back slightly and turned to face him.

"I love being around you," Riley whispered. She reached out and laced her fingers through his. "I don't want to lose you. I know it's early on in our relationship but I have a feeling."

"I do too," Lucas admitted, squeezing her hand. He looked down at their joined hands and then back up into her beautiful brown eyes. "I love you."

"You do?" Riley widened her eyes in surprise, biting her lip.

"I do," Lucas nodded. "I have known for a while and I don't want to wait any longer to tell you. I love you, Riley Matthews."

"I love you too," Riley whispered.

She scooted closer to him on the couch and he reached out to cup her cheek in his hand. They looked into each other's eyes and felt the passion growing between them. The love was radiating off the both of them and they knew that they wanted to take that next step. They wanted to take the next step in their relationship and be completely connected to each other. His lips slowly inched closer to hers and she closed the gap almost instantly. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer as their kiss grew passionately.

"The apartment is empty for the night, right?" Riley whispered against his lips.

"Right," Lucas mumbled against her lips. She stood up from the couch and extended her hands towards his. He placed his hand in hers and slowly stood up from the couch, letting her guide the way towards his bedroom. He closed the door behind them and then turned to face his girlfriend.

"I love you," Riley whispered as he took a step closer to her.

"I love you too," Lucas quietly said.

He leaned down to kiss her again and slowly moved the two back towards his bed. She felt her legs hit the end of his bed and she slowly inched onto the bed, pulling him down to hover over her. He held his weight up over her and then leaned down to kiss her again. He felt her hands move to the hem of his shirt and she started to tug on it, pulling it up slowly. He tossed it aside and then instantly leaned down to kiss her again.

They knew this step was going to be a big one in their relationship. It was going to connect them more than it already had. Both thought they would be a lot more nervous about taking it but that was not the case. It felt completely natural and comfortable to them. Their love overcame them and made the moment even more special. They knew this would only bring them closer and they were both ready for that.


	12. Chapter 12

**I am the worst. I know! I am still here and have hit major writers block with this story. I would type something and then delete it about a hundred times. I only have one or two more chapters left and I'm going to wrap it up. I am so so sorry for the huge delay between the chapters. I promise to try and not do that again. Thank you to all of you who have stuck with me! You are amazing and I am so sorry.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 12**

Riley rolled over and stretched out her back, her brown eyes still closed tightly. She stretched out an arm and when she came in contact with something, she quickly opened her eyes. Looking to her left, she saw Lucas sound asleep next to her. She smiled softly and then bit her lip. He looked so peaceful. His hair was slightly ruffled and he was snoring quietly. Somehow he looked even more handsome in the morning.

She continued to stare at him as she thought back to last night. It was perfect, it was all so perfect. Lucas was kind, he was gentle and he made her feel loved. He made her feel like she was the most beautiful girl in the entire world. If anything, it only made her love him even more. She felt like the two were completely connected now. She knew this was the man she wanted a future with.

"Good morning," Lucas's raspy voice startled her from her thoughts. She quickly looked down and saw him staring back at her. His eyes still looked sleepy but there was a glow to them.

"Good morning," Riley smiled. She leaned down and the two shared a quick kiss. One that sent fireworks through her chest.

"How'd you sleep?" Lucas asked.

"Good, really good. This bed is so comfortable," Riley said.

"Oh yeah?" Lucas raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Yeah," Riley chuckled. "Plus, I got to sleep next to you so that is a plus in my book."

"You barely move in your sleep," Lucas said.

"So I've been told," Riley laughed.

"Oh yeah?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. She could see the questioning in his eyes and chuckled.

"Maya said I am the best person to sleep next to," Riley chuckled and he laughed. "She becomes some kind of ninja in her sleep and I always wake up with a new bruise."

"I'm sure Josh appreciates that," Lucas laughed.

"I think it's why he always wears long pants," Riley teased.

"Probably," Lucas chuckled and then held out an arm. She cuddled into his side and rested her head on his chest. "I could get used to this."

"Me too," Riley said. "But I should warn you about something."

"What's that?" Lucas asked, looking down at her.

"If I don't get coffee soon then I won't be fun to be around," Riley said.

"Well then we should go get coffee," Lucas said.

"But it can wait a few minutes," Riley insisted. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him down for a kiss.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked.

"Oh yeah," Riley nodded and then pulled him down for another kiss. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he kissed her. She could get used to mornings like this.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Do you want to come with me?" Lucas asked as he watched her take a sip of her coffee.

"Come with you?" Riley asked.

"To pick up Haley," Lucas said. He took a sip of his own coffee and watched the surprise register on her face.

"Really?" Riley asked. "You want me to come with you to pick up Haley?"

"Of course I do," Lucas nodded. "I thought that maybe the three of us could spend the day together."

"You mean that?" Riley asked, a smile starting to fill her face.

"Absolutely," Lucas said. "I want for her to spend more time with you outside of school. I want her to see us together."

"That sounds perfect to me," Riley agreed. "I would love to spend the day with the two of you."

"We should probably get you a change of clothes first," Lucas smirked. She was wearing a pair of his sweat pants and one of his old t-shirts.

"That's probably a good idea," Riley nodded. "Maya would never let me hear the end of it if she knew I was wearing the same clothes from last night."

"We should have a big dinner," Lucas suggested.

"With who?' Riley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Everyone," Lucas said. "Your friends, my friends. Haley. All of us together."

"I love that idea," Riley agreed. "We can do it at my place."

"Perfect," Lucas nodded.

"I love you," Riley said.

"I love you too," Lucas said. She felt a flurry of butterflies fill her chest when he said that and then even more when he leaned forward to kiss her. She would never get tired of this feeling.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Ice cream!" Haley exclaimed.

"But we haven't even had lunch yet," Lucas said.

"But ice cream is the best kind of lunch," Haley said.

"She does make a point," Riley teased. Lucas shot her a look and she giggled. She knew she wasn't helping but Haley was so adorable and it was hard to say no.

"It's the eyes," Haley looked up at her.

"What?" Riley asked, looking down at her boyfriend's daughter.

"My daddy always says it's my eyes that get him," Haley explained.

"I can see that," Riley smiled and then ruffled her hair. She looked up at her boyfriend and saw the amused look on his face.

"Pleeeeaaase daddy," Haley stuck out her lip and batted her eyes at her dad. Riley had to hold back the giggle that was threatening to escape because she knew Lucas was about to cave.

"Fine," Lucas relented. "Only one scoop and you have to eat all of your vegetables at dinner."

"Deal!" Haley agreed. She started to jump up and down in excitement as Riley walked over to her boyfriend.

"Sorry," Riley bit her lip. "I wasn't much help."

"She is a very hard girl to say no to," Lucas said as he watched his daughter spin around in circles. "I don't want her to think she's spoiled though."

"She won't," Riley promised. "You give her what you can but you don't always give her everything. You know when to say no to her."

"You always know what to say," Lucas smiled down at her.

"I kind of have a way with my words," Riley teased and nudged his side.

"Yes you do Riley Matthews," Lucas smirked. He leaned down to kiss her and she smiled as their lips touched.

"Yuck!" Haley exclaimed and the two pulled back to laugh. They looked over at the little girl and saw her smiling innocently. She shrugged her shoulders and they laughed. "Can we get ice cream now?"

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Will you push me on the swings?" Haley asked, looking up at Riley.

"Of course I will," Riley nodded. Haley was holding Lucas's hand as they walked but she reached over and grabbed onto Riley's hand too. The older woman looked down and smiled, then looked up at her boyfriend and saw him smiling at her.

"I am going to swing so high that I can touch the sky," Haley said.

"Oh yeah?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Haley nodded. Lucas and Riley shared a look before they swung the little girl up into the air. She let out a shriek and then started to giggle as they swung her up again.

"That high?" Lucas asked, smiling at his favorite little girl.

"Even higher!" Haley exclaimed.

"Higher?" Riley asked, widening her eyes and then nodding at her boyfriend. They swung the little girl up in the air again and she let out a really excited shriek.

"This is a more fun than the swings," Haley said.

"Is it?" Lucas laughed.

"Yeah!" Haley nodded and then looked up at her daddy. "I love being with you daddy."

"I love being with you too princess," Lucas said and then leaned down to kiss the top of her head. Riley felt like her heart might explode right then and there. The two of them together were absolutely adorable. Lucas was everything she could have hoped for in a partner and more.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"She wants to say good night to you," Lucas said as he walked back into the living room. Riley looked over at her boyfriend and couldn't stop the surprise that filled her face.

"She does?" Riley asked, standing up from the couch.

"She does," Lucas nodded with a smile. Riley walked over in his direction and gave his arm a squeeze as they passed. She walked up to Haley's bedroom and then peeked her head into the room. Haley looked up and smiled wide.

"I hear my presence was requested," Riley said.

"I wanted to say good night," Haley said. Riley walked over and then kneeled down by the side of her bed.

"Did you have fun today?" Riley asked, smiling at the little girl.

"I had the best time," Haley nodded. "I love when the three of us are together."

"I do too," Riley said.

"You make my daddy happy," Haley said. "He smiles a lot more than he used to."

"He makes me very happy too," Riley promised. She felt her heart start to fill with love because hearing this from Lucas's daughter was everything.

"You make me happy too," Haley said.

"I do?" Riley asked.

"I don't want you to go anywhere," Haley said. Her voice had softened and her eyes looked slightly afraid of the idea. Riley reached out and rested a hand on Haley's hand.

"I'm not going anywhere," Riley promised. "I am going to be around with you and your daddy for a long time. You can always count on that."

"Really?" Haley widened her eyes in excitement.

"Really," Riley nodded. She pulled the covers up slightly and then brushed a piece of hair off Haley's face. "Now it is time for you to go to bed, missy."

"Oh fine," Haley pouted and slid down slightly in the bed. "Good night, Riley."

"Good night Haley," Riley kissed her forehead softly and then stood up. "Sweet dreams."

"Everything okay?" Lucas asked when Riley walked back into the living room.

"Yup," Riley nodded and then walked over to join him on the couch. "Just having some girl bonding time."

"Today was a lot of fun," Lucas said. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she immediately cuddled into his side.

"It was a blast," Riley said. "The perfect day."

"What's that?" Lucas asked, looking over at the front door. She looked over and the two saw an envelope slide underneath the door. They both stood up and walked over to the door. Lucas reached down and grabbed the envelope.

"Does it say who it's from?" Riley asked.

"No," Lucas shook his head. He opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. He quickly read it and Riley watched his face for any kind of reaction. He stayed pretty straight face the entire time and then looked up at her.

"What is it?" Riley asked.

"It's from Megan," Lucas said and then handed her the letter.

 _Dear Lucas,_

 _I know by coming back I have made things complicated for you. I opened old wounds and left you confused. It was wrong of me and I am sorry. There are never going to be enough words to apologize to you and our daughter for what I did five years ago. I never expect either of you to forgive me but know that I am truly sorry from the deepest part of my heart. I really did and do love Haley. She is the biggest part of my heart. I saw the three of you together at the park and realized that there is no place for me here. Haley has a great life and people who love her. It would be wrong of me to try and come between that. I am leaving because I know it's best to stay away. I know you will always take care of her and give her enough love for the both of us. I will always love the two of you and will always be thinking of you two. Take care of our girl and make sure that she never feels unloved._

 _Love, Megan._

"She's gone," Riley whispered and then looked up at Lucas. He was staring at her and his face looked pretty blank. "Are you okay?"

"More than okay," Lucas nodded. "This is what's right."

"I'm here," Riley promised as she reached out and rested a hand on his arm. "I'm always here."

"I love you," Lucas whispered and then rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you too," Riley whispered and wrapped her arms around him. They would get through all of this. They would raise Haley and help her grow into a beautiful young woman. They would do all of this together.


	13. Chapter 13

**This is it, this is the final chapter in this story. I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to post it. Life and writers block got in the way. I have loved writing this story and creating a different kind of world for Rucas. Thank you for all the love, support, comments, follows and favorites on this story. They have meant the absolute world to me and this story wouldn't be possible without all your support. So here it is, the final chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters**

 **EPILOGUE**

"Do you want the couch to go there?" Lucas asked, holding one end of the couch and turning to raise an eyebrow at his girlfriend of two years.

"I think so," Riley nodded as she looked around the living room. "That seems like the logical place for it."

"Are you sure, sugar?" Zay asked, feeling himself lose part of his grip on the couch.

"I'm sure," Riley finally decided and then smiled kindly at Zay. "Thank you so much for helping with the move."

The move. After two years of dating, they were finally taking this next step. Riley, Lucas and Haley were all moving into their own apartment together. Riley and Lucas felt like it was finally time for the three of them to officially move in and become a family. While the adults were particularly excited about this move, no one was more excited than Haley. At seven years old now, she loved Riley and loved her dad's relationship with the brunette.

"Anything for my two best friends," Zay smiled.

"You have a lot of crap," Maya groaned as she walked into the apartment and dropped another box on the floor.

"It's not that much," Josh shook his head at his wife as he followed her inside.

"I'm pretty sure you guys had more stuff when we helped you move into your new apartment," Lucas pointed out.

"That's because we had all of Sophia's stuff. Two year olds have a lot of stuff," Maya said.

"And soon there will be another one," Riley smiled at her best friend in excitement. Maya and Josh had just recently announced that she was pregnant with baby number two.

"It's totally going to be a boy this time," Josh said.

"Don't say that," Maya shot him a look.

"What?" Zay asked, looking between the two. "Do you not want a boy?"

"It's not that," Maya shook her head. "I don't want him to get his hopes up and then we end up having another girl."

"I would be happy either way," Josh promised.

"I totally agreed with Josh though," Lucas chimed in. "I totally think it's going to be a boy."

"I guess we will have to wait and see," Riley said. She secretly agreed with her boyfriend and uncle. For some reason, she had a feeling that her best friend was going to have a boy this time around.

"So are there a lot more boxes left?" Lucas asked, changing the subject back to their moving.

"We should be just about done," Riley insisted as she looked around the living room at all of the boxes already in there.

"We are," Farkle nodded as he followed in with his wife. Smackle placed the box she was holding on a table and looked around.

"This place looks a lot bigger than you described," Smackle said.

"It feels a lot bigger," Riley agreed. She knew that they were going to have a lot of extra space but she was okay with that. It was perfect for when they decided to eventually expand their family.

"It feels perfect," Lucas smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"It really does," Riley smiled up at him and then closed her eyes when she felt him place a kiss on her forehead. She knew this next step was going to be perfect. She knew that they had made the right decision in moving in together.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"I love it!" Haley exclaimed later that day. She had been hanging out with Cory and Topanga while the adults did most of the moving. They figured it would go a lot faster without a seven year old running around.

"Yeah?" Riley smiled at the little girl.

"Its perfect mom," Haley nodded. Riley felt her heart clench and a rush of love overcome her.

After about a year of dating, Haley had randomly called Riley mom one night. Riley and Lucas were both completely taken by surprise and not sure how to respond to this. At first, Lucas was afraid it would scare Riley away but then he saw the smile on the brunette's face. He saw the tears in her eyes and knew that it was okay. She had taken on the role of Haley's mom and that it was perfectly okay with her to be called mom. It was one of those moments where Riley knew that Lucas and Haley were who she was supposed to be with. They were meant to be her family.

"Do you want to see your room?" Lucas asked.

"Yes!" Haley clapped her hands in the same way Riley did when she got excited. Lucas smirked because even though she wasn't her biological daughter, she had still gotten a few traits from Riley.

"Follow us," Riley smiled and then led them in the direction. The apartment had three bedrooms and the first one was Haley's. The brunette pushed the door open and heard the seven year old let out an excited gasp.

"I love it," Haley said as she walked into the room. It was painted purple and had little flowers all around the walls. There was a bed in the middle of the room with a purple flower comforter on it, a night stand right next to the bed, a desk off the side, a little dresser with a mirror on top of it and a small chair in the corner of the room. Pictures were scattered all around the room and it was exactly what Haley had wanted.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked, walking over to his daughter and ruffling her hair.

"We did a good job?" Riley asked.

"It's perfect," Haley nodded. She saw a picture on her night stand and it was of the three of them at Zay and Vanessa's wedding. They looked happy, they looked like a family. She turned to her mom and dad with a bright smile. "Thank you so much."

"You are very welcome," Lucas pulled his daughter into a hug and wished she would stop growing. She was already way too big for him.

"Now since most of the kitchen supplies are still in boxes, how about we order pizza for dinner?" Riley suggested.

"With extra cheese and pepperoni?" Haley's eyes lit up in excitement.

"I think that sounds perfect," Riley agreed.

"Yay!" Haley clapped her hands together and smiled.

"Maybe after we can go out for ice cream?" Lucas suggested.

"Really?" Haley's eyes widened even wider and the two adults chuckled.

"I think it sounds like the perfect night," Riley nodded.

"Awesome!" Haley pumped her first in the air and then rushed out of the room to get the menu.

"I think she's happy," Riley chuckled.

"Because of you," Lucas said.

"Me?" Riley scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "What did I do?"

"You saved us," Lucas said and then took a step closer to her. "You saved me and made me a better person. You loved that little girl out there like she was your own. You have taken us on as your family when you didn't need to. You make us happy and feel loved."

"I will always love the two of you," Riley promised and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her even closer and then kissed her forehead. "You two are my family, Lucas Friar."

"I love you Riley Matthews," Lucas said and then leaned down to kiss her.

"I love you too," Riley whispered against his lips and then kissed him once more. She would never get used to the feeling that she felt when he kissed her. She would never get used to those butterflies that swarmed her belly and made her feel like she was the only girl in the world.

 **. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.**

"Are you gonna do it now, daddy?" Haley asked, tugging on Lucas's arm.

"Should I?" Lucas asked, looking down at her.

"Yes!" Haley exclaimed and then looked to see Riley walking back in their direction. She had been throwing out her ice cream cup and was headed back towards her two favorite people.

"You ready to go?" Riley asked.

"Yup," Haley nodded and then winked at her dad.

"How about we walk over to the park?" Lucas suggested. "It's still kind of early out and Haley might like to run around for a little while before bed."

"Sure," Riley nodded.

"Okay," Haley agreed. The family of three headed in the direction of the park and as soon as they got there, the little girl rushed off in the direction of the swings. They were her favorite part of the park and she was glad to see that no one else was there.

"It's so beautiful out tonight," Riley said as she looked up at the clear sky. She could see the sun starting to set and it felt so peaceful.

"You're beautiful," Lucas said.

"Lucas," Riley smiled sweetly him and felt herself blush softly. She was sure she would never get used to his random compliments.

"Mom!" Haley called out and then jumped off the swing. Riley turned to see what her daughter needed and saw her walking in her direction.

"Is everything okay?" Riley asked when the little girl reached her side and then turned back to Lucas, letting out a surprise gasp. He was down on one knee and holding a small velvet box in his hand. "Lucas," she whispered.

"I love you," he started and then amended his statement when he heard Haley let out a cough. "We love you. We love you more than anything else in this world. You are kind, beautiful, selfless and one of the best people we have ever met. There is no one else in the world that I would want to build my life with or continue to build our family with. You're my best friend and the love of my life. Riley Matthews, will you marry me?"

"Marry us!" Haley chimed in. Riley let out a soft chuckle and brushed a tear off her face before nodding.

"Yes," Riley whispered. "Yes, of course!"

"Really?" Lucas widened his eyes in excitement.

"Of course, Lucas. I want nothing more than to marry you," Riley said. He quickly took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger before standing up and pulling her into his arms. He crashed his lips against her and kissed her with all the love he was feeling for her.

"I love you so much," Lucas whispered against her lips.

"I love you too," Riley said and then kissed him once more before turning to Haley. "I love both of you so much."

"I love you!" Haley chimed in and jumped into Riley's arms. Riley picked up the little girl and squeezed her in a tight hug. She felt Lucas wrap his arms around his two favorite girls and held them both close.

Lucas had been just another parent. Haley had been just another student that September morning. Riley had no idea how wrong she had been in that moment. They were so much more than that. It was a crisp September morning when the two stumbled into her life and ended up changing it for the best. They gave her love and a family. They made her believe that life could change in a second if you wanted it to. They were the best parts of her life and it was only the beginning. Riley, Lucas, and Haley's story was just beginning and they couldn't wait to see what was next for them.


End file.
